Series Preview: Mariners Vs. A's

After another disastrous series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Seattle Mariners (11-12) open up a set against the hated Oakland Athletics (14-9).  In the last year and change Seattle has had Oakland's number.  However, as all Mariner fans can attest to, that is not always the case.  Pitching match ups are as follows:

Friday April 25th, 7:10 pm

Oakland: Dana Eveland (2-1, 1.90 ERA) @Seattle: Miguel Batista (2-2 4.38 ERA)

Eveland has been fantastic so far in this young season, producing an ERA under two.  On the other side while Batista may be a fifth starter, he led the Mariner pitching staff in wins last year and should not be taken lightly.

Saturday April 26th, 6:10 pm

Oakland: Justin Duchscherer (1-0 1.80 ERA) @Seattle: Erik Bedard (1-0 3.27)

The A's roll out another low profile starter that has been putting up impressive stats.  Duchscherer though, is no slouch.  He has a career ERA at 3.41.  For the M's, Erik Bedard makes his return from the DL.  He will be making his third start of the year, and still is carrying huge expectations on his shoulders.

Sunday April 27th, 1:10 pm

Oakland: Joe Blanton (1-4 4.32 ERA) @Seattle: Felix Hernandez (2-0 1.67 ERA)

The final game of the series offers a great pitchers duel, despite what the numbers may say.  Blanton came into the season as the team ace, and is one of the few players on the roster that have not exceeded expectations for the surprising A's.  Felix on the other hand is technically the staff's number two starter, but he has Cy Young caliber stuff, and is a future star (if he is not one already).

All in all, the series promises to be exciting and full of great games.  The Mariners need to salvage at least a split after losing two of three to the Baltimore Orioles.  A series victory for Oakland would go a long way in proving to the rest of the league that this squad is for real, and that they haven't been winning with smoke and mirrors.