Igoe4Mariners
06-28-2010, 07:53 PM
The Seattle Mariners (31-44) and New York Yankees (47-28) meet for the first time in 2010 when they take on each other in a three-game set at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Although this series pits two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as their spots in the standings, it looks to be a great series on paper.
The Mariners have always found a way to give the Yankees fits, no matter how good or bad they are and this series shouldn't be different. With their two aces going in Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez, the Mariners can match up with anybody in the league no matter how lackluster the offense is. Cliff Lee knows all about pitching against the Yankees, as he completely shut them down in the postseason last year for two of the Phillies World Series victories. King Felix has always pitched tremendously well against New York as well as he always seems to bring his A game when facing top-tier competition. The Seattle offense will look to get a boost from a familiar face in Russell Branyan, after trading for him late Saturday night. Branyan will look to fill the missing link the 2010 Mariners offense has needed all along.
The Yankees, who sit atop their division once again, are less than a year removed from winning the 2009 World Series over Philadelphia. They are off to a great start again this season despite the struggles of many of their prime athletes. Usually reliable sluggers Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez have both hit well below their career norms thus far, but the emergence of Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner, and other part-time contributors have allowed the Yankees time to wait for their superstars to get in line. The pitching staff has been solid once again led by the great Mariano Rivera in the back-end and at the front of the rotation sits ace C.C. Sabathia. Other starting pitchers Phil Hughes and Andy Pettite are also having phenominal seasons as well. A.J. Burnett and Javier Vazquez have both struggled finding their consistency early on, but once they get it going as well, the Yankees might not hardly ever lose.
Pitching Matchups:
Cliff Lee, LHP (6-3, 2.39) vs. Phil Hughes, RHP (10-1, 3.17)
Felix Hernandez, RHP (5-5, 3.28) vs. Javier Vazquez, RHP (6-6, 5.16)
Ryan Rowland-Smith, LHP (1-7, 6.18) vs. CC Sabathia, LHP (9-3, 3.49)
The Mariners have always found a way to give the Yankees fits, no matter how good or bad they are and this series shouldn't be different. With their two aces going in Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez, the Mariners can match up with anybody in the league no matter how lackluster the offense is. Cliff Lee knows all about pitching against the Yankees, as he completely shut them down in the postseason last year for two of the Phillies World Series victories. King Felix has always pitched tremendously well against New York as well as he always seems to bring his A game when facing top-tier competition. The Seattle offense will look to get a boost from a familiar face in Russell Branyan, after trading for him late Saturday night. Branyan will look to fill the missing link the 2010 Mariners offense has needed all along.
The Yankees, who sit atop their division once again, are less than a year removed from winning the 2009 World Series over Philadelphia. They are off to a great start again this season despite the struggles of many of their prime athletes. Usually reliable sluggers Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez have both hit well below their career norms thus far, but the emergence of Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner, and other part-time contributors have allowed the Yankees time to wait for their superstars to get in line. The pitching staff has been solid once again led by the great Mariano Rivera in the back-end and at the front of the rotation sits ace C.C. Sabathia. Other starting pitchers Phil Hughes and Andy Pettite are also having phenominal seasons as well. A.J. Burnett and Javier Vazquez have both struggled finding their consistency early on, but once they get it going as well, the Yankees might not hardly ever lose.
Pitching Matchups:
Cliff Lee, LHP (6-3, 2.39) vs. Phil Hughes, RHP (10-1, 3.17)
Felix Hernandez, RHP (5-5, 3.28) vs. Javier Vazquez, RHP (6-6, 5.16)
Ryan Rowland-Smith, LHP (1-7, 6.18) vs. CC Sabathia, LHP (9-3, 3.49)