Seattle Mariners Gameday Preview versus Tigers

****UPDATED WITH COMMENT AT BOTTOM****

Initial Thoughts:

The Mariners picked up a win last night behind the stellar pitching of Chris Young and the clutch hitting of Willie Bloomquist. They put 3 runs on the board against Drew Smyly, and that’s all they needed to hold on and pick up their 27^th victory.

However, with 27 victories they have 28 losses, they just cannot seem to jump over the .500 baseball hump. So far on this 11 game homestand the M’s are 5-5, with a chance to win the series and solidify a winning homestand with a victory today.

Game Details:

Seattle Mariners 27-28. Last 10: (5-5).

Detroit Tigers 31-21. Last 10: (4-6).

Game Time: 1:10 PM Pacific. Location: Seattle, Washington. Safeco Field.

MATCHUPS:

Pitching

Seattle Mariners LHP Roenis Elias (3-4, 4.02 ERA) v. Detroit Tigers RHP Max Scherzer (6-1, 3.00 ERA)

EDGE: Scherzer. The reigning Cy Young winning right-hander had a great start to the season, though he has allowed 12 runs in his last 13 innings, leading to 2 no-decisions. So if there were ever a time to catch the 20-game winner pitching, it would be today for the Mariners. Elias has struggled as well, over his last four starts, with an 0-2 record and a 5.33 ERA.

Projected Lineups:

Mariners:

James Jones 8

Michael Saunders 9

Robinson Cano DH

Justin Smoak 3

Kyle Seager 5

Dustin Ackley 7

Nick Franklin 4

John Buck 2

Brad Miller 6

Of Note: Willie Ballgame and Cole Gillespie carried the offense in last night’s game. Two spot starters found their rhythm against Tigers’ pitcher Smyly, combining to go 4-7 with 3 RBI. The rest of the lineup was relatively quiet, racking up 10 outs by the strikeout to go with only one free pass.

Tigers:

Ian Kinsler 4

Torii Hunter 9

Miguel Cabrera 3

Victor Martinez DH

Austin Jackson 8

Alex Avila 2

Nick Castellanos 5

Austin Romine 6

Rajai Davis 7

Of Note: The Detroit Tigers have 3 of the best hitters in baseball this season: Kinsler, Cabrera, and Martinez. They are all hitting above .309, and have provided ample power, speed, patience, and hitting from the top of the lineup. However the Mariners pitching staff held the 3 to just 2 hits and 1 RBI in last night’s contest. Elias will have to do likewise for the M’s to have a shot to win the series.

Other Notes:

I am not sure when Cano will get back into the lineup, but I am hoping it is today at DH against the Tigers. It was reported that he had an unknown illness at first, though it seems that he was out of yesterday’s game with a bruised hand.

These last few games have given the Mariners a chance to see what this lineup would ever look like if Cano went down for an extended period of time. In a word: bad. Without Cano anchoring pretty much everything, the lineup is far from imposing and potent.

With the anemic nature of the Mariners offense so far this season, it is debatable whether Felix Hernandez or Robinson Cano is more valuable and important to this team.

Final Thoughts:

Scherzer is good at striking people out. The Mariners have a penchant for chasing pitches. It could be a whiff of a day if the Mariners don’t test Scherzer and force him to hit his spots early.

And if Cano remains out of the lineup yet again, it could be a long day for a Mariners offense still too young and inexperienced to be consistently effective at the Major League level.

Score Prediction:

Mariners 2, Tigers 4.