Featured Video
Giants Fans Go Shirtless 🤣
Mariners at Yankees Series Preview
RBCMay 2, 2008
The Mariners and the Yankees kick off their three-game series today at Yankee Stadium with both teams playing far less than their best baseball.
The Mariners are fresh off a series in Cleveland where they dropped 2 of 3 while the Yankees were just swept in a three-game series at home by the Detroit Tigers.
Both the Mariners and Yankees have lost six of their last eight but will send their aces to the mound today. The Mariners send newly-acquired Erik Bedard (2-0 2.04 ERA) to the mound while the Yankees counter with Chien-Ming Wang (5-0 3.23 ERA).
Wang has a career record of 26-9 at Yankee Stadium with an ERA of 3.04. He has never lost to the Mariners and is 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA in six career starts. Last year Wang was 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA against the Mariners in two starts.
Bedard, meanwhile, is 3-1 with a 2.85 ERA against the Yankees in seven career starts. Last year Bedard was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three starts against the Yankees.
Saturday's matchup features Mike Mussina (3-3) against Felix Hernandez (2-1). Mussina is coming off a solid performance at Cleveland where he threw five innings giving up two runs and seven hits to pick up the victory. Hernandez is coming off a tough-luck performance against the A's where he had a 2-0 lead heading into the eighth only to give up four runs and get the loss. Hernandez struck out a season-high 10 Athletics that afternoon. Hernandez has gone at least seven innings in five of his six starts so far this season but is a career 1-2 against the Yankees with a 4.82 ERA in three starts.
Sunday's matchup is Darrell Rasner (1-3) against Carlos Silva (3-0). Rasner is 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA in two career starts against the Mariners. In the last three seasons, Silva is 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA in three starts against the Yankees.
This is going to be a very interesting series from the standpoint that both teams are struggling a lot right now, especially at the plate. The Mariners enter the series hitting just .257 as a team while the Yankees are hitting just .255. Where the Mariners may have an edge is on the pitching side. The Mariners have a team ERA of 4.05 so far this year while the Yankees have an ERA of 4.68.
Wang has always pitched well against the Mariners and Bedard, as of late, has pitched well against the Yankees. With both teams struggling to find their rhythm at the plate, I expect the first game to be a classic pitchers duel. I have to give the advantage to the Yankees in game one just because Wang has never lost to the Mariners and seems to be stronger than he's ever been this year. If the Mariners win, it will have to be because they kept it close and were able to rally late off the Yankees pen.
Seattle has the advantage in game two. Mussina isn't the dominating pitcher he once was and I expect the Mariners bats to finally come alive. Hernandez is due for a hiccup, but I don't forsee this being the game where he has one. Last year in Hernandez's only start at Yankee Stadium he went seven innings, giving up just one run and five hits while striking out five to pick up the victory. With the way the Yankees bats are struggling right now, I don't envision them getting better off Hernandez.
If the Yankees bats are going to get healthy this series, it will have to be the third game against Carlos Silva. In his only start against the Yankees last year Silva gave up five runs and nine hits in just 5 1/3 innings. Granted, Silva has had a fabulous start to the 2008 season, but he's always seemed to struggle against the Yankees. Unlike the first two games, I expect the Yankees to explode in game three. Will the Mariners be able to keep up off of Rasner? I don't know. I think this is a toss-up. But should definately be the highest-scoring game of the series.
This is an intriguing series because I highly doubt either team will sweep. But either team could take 2 of 3 and it wouldn't exactly be surprising. I give the advantage to the Yankees simply because they are at home.
Predictions:
Game 1: Yankees 3, Mariners 1
Game 2: Mariners 6, Yankees 2
Game 3: Yankees 7, Mariners 5
The Mariners are fresh off a series in Cleveland where they dropped 2 of 3 while the Yankees were just swept in a three-game series at home by the Detroit Tigers.
Both the Mariners and Yankees have lost six of their last eight but will send their aces to the mound today. The Mariners send newly-acquired Erik Bedard (2-0 2.04 ERA) to the mound while the Yankees counter with Chien-Ming Wang (5-0 3.23 ERA).
Wang has a career record of 26-9 at Yankee Stadium with an ERA of 3.04. He has never lost to the Mariners and is 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA in six career starts. Last year Wang was 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA against the Mariners in two starts.
Bedard, meanwhile, is 3-1 with a 2.85 ERA against the Yankees in seven career starts. Last year Bedard was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three starts against the Yankees.
Saturday's matchup features Mike Mussina (3-3) against Felix Hernandez (2-1). Mussina is coming off a solid performance at Cleveland where he threw five innings giving up two runs and seven hits to pick up the victory. Hernandez is coming off a tough-luck performance against the A's where he had a 2-0 lead heading into the eighth only to give up four runs and get the loss. Hernandez struck out a season-high 10 Athletics that afternoon. Hernandez has gone at least seven innings in five of his six starts so far this season but is a career 1-2 against the Yankees with a 4.82 ERA in three starts.
Sunday's matchup is Darrell Rasner (1-3) against Carlos Silva (3-0). Rasner is 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA in two career starts against the Mariners. In the last three seasons, Silva is 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA in three starts against the Yankees.
This is going to be a very interesting series from the standpoint that both teams are struggling a lot right now, especially at the plate. The Mariners enter the series hitting just .257 as a team while the Yankees are hitting just .255. Where the Mariners may have an edge is on the pitching side. The Mariners have a team ERA of 4.05 so far this year while the Yankees have an ERA of 4.68.
Wang has always pitched well against the Mariners and Bedard, as of late, has pitched well against the Yankees. With both teams struggling to find their rhythm at the plate, I expect the first game to be a classic pitchers duel. I have to give the advantage to the Yankees in game one just because Wang has never lost to the Mariners and seems to be stronger than he's ever been this year. If the Mariners win, it will have to be because they kept it close and were able to rally late off the Yankees pen.
Seattle has the advantage in game two. Mussina isn't the dominating pitcher he once was and I expect the Mariners bats to finally come alive. Hernandez is due for a hiccup, but I don't forsee this being the game where he has one. Last year in Hernandez's only start at Yankee Stadium he went seven innings, giving up just one run and five hits while striking out five to pick up the victory. With the way the Yankees bats are struggling right now, I don't envision them getting better off Hernandez.
If the Yankees bats are going to get healthy this series, it will have to be the third game against Carlos Silva. In his only start against the Yankees last year Silva gave up five runs and nine hits in just 5 1/3 innings. Granted, Silva has had a fabulous start to the 2008 season, but he's always seemed to struggle against the Yankees. Unlike the first two games, I expect the Yankees to explode in game three. Will the Mariners be able to keep up off of Rasner? I don't know. I think this is a toss-up. But should definately be the highest-scoring game of the series.
This is an intriguing series because I highly doubt either team will sweep. But either team could take 2 of 3 and it wouldn't exactly be surprising. I give the advantage to the Yankees simply because they are at home.
Predictions:
Game 1: Yankees 3, Mariners 1
Game 2: Mariners 6, Yankees 2
Game 3: Yankees 7, Mariners 5
.png?w=256)
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
