The Mariners are coming off of a sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays this week and they sit in first place. The LA Angels come to town to try to gain some ground.
The last time theMarinershave been in first place in the AL West for this long was in 2003. They have been winning close games that they would have dropped last year and enter the weekend series against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with a ton of confidence. It seems that every game a new offensive contributor comes through while the pitching staff keeps opposing bats in check.
The Mariners beat the Rays on Monday 5-2 after shortstopKetel Martewent 4-for-4 with the game-deciding three-run home run.Felix Hernandezwon his franchise record 146th game by going seven innings and giving only the two runs.
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The Mariners again bested Tampa Bay on Tuesday behind another solid start fromWade Miley, who won his third game in a row by allowing only four hits in six innings. Miley allowed three solo home runs in the game, two to first basemanSteve Pearceand one by right fielderSteven SouzaJr. Mariners first baseman Dae-Ho Lee blasted a three-run home run in the fourth inning and outfielderFranklin Gutierrezhit a two-run bomb in the first inning, his first home run of the season.
The Mariners swept the Rays by gutting out a back-and-forth game with a walk-off solo home run by catcherChris Iannettain the 11th inning on Wednesday. RelieverNick Vincentserved up the game-tying home run to Rays center fielderKevin Kiermaierin the ninth inning. CloserSteve Cishek, who earned a four-out save in the previous game, was unavailable.
Similar to the Houston Astros’ season so far in 2016, the Angels are surprisingly not very good. They share the AL West cellar with Houston, eight games behind the Mariners (who are 1.5 games ahead of second-place Texas). But while the Astros have shown some signs of life recently, winning six of their past ten, the Angels are trending down, losers of eight of their past ten.
The Mariners are among the hottest teams in the league. They haven’t lost a series in over a month and their starting pitchers appear to all be finding their groove in recent games. Miley, who sported an ERA over eight not long ago, has won three in a row. Felix has been Felix for the most part, andNate Karnshas been excellent in his past five starts, striking out 32 batters over his last 29.2 innings.
ManagerScott Servaisand general managerJerry Dipotohave so far proven their platoon approach is effective. Lee and Guti hit home runs in the same game against the Rays. OutfielderSeth Smithhas been effective as well. With a deep bench stocked with effective bats, a resilient bullpen that has been effective despite some early-season injuries toJoaquin Benoitand others, and starters that have kept opponents honest, the Mariners have the look of a contender.
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Karns will take the mound tonight for the Mariners against LA right-handerNick Tropeanoat the Safe tonight at seven. Karns has faced the Angels only twice in his career, both times in one week last season with the Rays, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA. I’d bet he’ll improve on those numbers tonight the way he’s been throwing the ball.
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