Mariners vs. Orioles preview: The M’s need to win the first two games

The Mariners just won two out of three games against the Los Angeles Angels, and the M’s will now host the Baltimore Orioles for three games. The Orioles got off to a hot start but have cooled down and are now at the bottom of the AL East.

That being said, this is a great opportunity for another Mariners series win but we need to take advantage of the first two matchups rather than making the final game of the series the deciding factor.

Mariners vs. Orioles preview

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The Mariners have a lot of shuffling around to do with its starting rotation due to injuries, but we do know who will be throwing for the Orioles. Today, the Mariners will be facing Dean Kremer who owns an 0-2 record with an 8.40 ERA.

He has allowed a .334 xBA and a 54.2% hard-hit rate. That being said, this is a fantastic matchup for the struggling Mariners bats and the team needs to take advantage of it. The M’s rotation has been on and off, but if the offense can put up 10 runs, that should be plenty of insurance for the thin pitching staff.

On Tuesday, there is another favorable matchup as Jorge Lopez starts for Baltimore. He has a 1-3 record, 7.48 ERA, allowed a .270 xBA, and a 36.9% hard-hit rate. Lopez might be a bit tougher on the M’s hitters, but we should be more than capable of putting on a show at T-Mobile Park.

And for the final game of the series, the M’s will face John Means, who is pitching like a Cy Young candidate. Although I am an optimist, Means has been lights out so I wouldn’t want the series to be decided by the final matchup.

The other key to the series is to clobber Kremer and Lopez early. The Orioles bullpen is actually quite good like the M’s pen. They have the sixth-best bullpen ERA in the MLB, while Seattle has the best.

So, the M’s need to score early and often against their struggling starting pitchers and deplete their bullpen. That would give us the best chance to win the series, and potentially even pull off a sweep.

The Mariners should be feeling good after taking the series from the Angels in a nail-biter yesterday, so I expect them to come out swinging.