Mariners vs Royals: Seattle looks to shut down the biggest surprise in baseball

The Mariners had a funky series against the Athletics, with the offense showing up quite strong in the first and last game, but the middle one being a massive stinker that saw no offense outside of a Cal Raleigh solo homer. They won the series, and it was nice seeing it be due to the offense instead of dominant starting pitching.

The Mariners are going to need a combination of that against the Royals if they are going to be able to win the series. As it was with the Athletics, these aren't the Royals you are used to. This is a team with a darn good offense and some pretty good pitching to boot. They're fighting for the division lead, sitting just a half game behind the leaders, but still rocking a 25-17 record with the 4th-best run differential in all of baseball.

Knowing that they have an off day this coming Thursday to reset as they head off to another road trip could lead to an early hook for Woo (especially with his injury recovery) the final day for the Mariners. We could also see that for Wacha and Marsh, as the Royals have a travel day Thursday as well.

Who's going to come out ahead? Let's dive into the matchups, hitters to watch, and final thoughts for this week's Mariners' series against the Kansas City Royals.