Igoe4Mariners
07-05-2010, 08:46 AM
The Kansas City Royals (36-46) make their first trip to Seattle of the 2010 season to take on the Mariners (34-47).
The Royals have been playing much better baseball lately as they have won 7 of their last 10 and have climbed back to only 10 games under .500. The resurgence of ace Zack Greinke over the past couple of starts has the Royals riding a hot streak that they will hope to keep going on their current west coast road trip. Former Mariner slugger Jose Guillen is having a great season in Kansas City carrying the team's offense by belting 14 homers while driving in 52 runs.
Leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik has been the team's biggest catalyst in the leadoff spot with a .347 OBP and 24 stolen bases already in 2010. The Mariners pitching staff will have to keep Podsednik off the basepaths and Guillen from driving in multiple runs in order to win this three-game series.
Seattle gets a huge boost of starting pitching with the return of left-hander Erik Bedard. Bedard, when healthy, is one of the top lefties in the game and gives Seattle one of the best top three in a starting rotation in all of Major League Baseball. He will start on Tuesday and be on a 90-95 pitch count. Look for him to be a little rusty at first, but if he can stay healthy and effective, he will offset the loss of Cliff Lee somewhat when he is traded.
The Mariners offense has come alive since aquiring Russell Branyan from the Indians. In three of the five games that Branyan has started for Seattle, the Mariners have managed to put of seven or more runs up on the scoreboard. Although he is strikeout prone, the lefty slugger provides the offense with a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat that can change a game with one swing. Before the trade, Seattle had to string 5 consecutive singles together in order to score multiple runs in an inning.
Pitching Matchups:
Brian Bannister, RHP (7-6, 5.46 ERA) vs. Felix Hernandez, RHP (6-5, 3.03 ERA)
Zack Greinke, RHP (4-8, 3.94 ERA) vs. Erik Bedard, LHP (1st start of 2010)
Kyle Davies, RHP (4-6, 5.64 ERA) vs. Doug Fister, RHP (3-4, 3.22 ERA)
The Royals have been playing much better baseball lately as they have won 7 of their last 10 and have climbed back to only 10 games under .500. The resurgence of ace Zack Greinke over the past couple of starts has the Royals riding a hot streak that they will hope to keep going on their current west coast road trip. Former Mariner slugger Jose Guillen is having a great season in Kansas City carrying the team's offense by belting 14 homers while driving in 52 runs.
Leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik has been the team's biggest catalyst in the leadoff spot with a .347 OBP and 24 stolen bases already in 2010. The Mariners pitching staff will have to keep Podsednik off the basepaths and Guillen from driving in multiple runs in order to win this three-game series.
Seattle gets a huge boost of starting pitching with the return of left-hander Erik Bedard. Bedard, when healthy, is one of the top lefties in the game and gives Seattle one of the best top three in a starting rotation in all of Major League Baseball. He will start on Tuesday and be on a 90-95 pitch count. Look for him to be a little rusty at first, but if he can stay healthy and effective, he will offset the loss of Cliff Lee somewhat when he is traded.
The Mariners offense has come alive since aquiring Russell Branyan from the Indians. In three of the five games that Branyan has started for Seattle, the Mariners have managed to put of seven or more runs up on the scoreboard. Although he is strikeout prone, the lefty slugger provides the offense with a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat that can change a game with one swing. Before the trade, Seattle had to string 5 consecutive singles together in order to score multiple runs in an inning.
Pitching Matchups:
Brian Bannister, RHP (7-6, 5.46 ERA) vs. Felix Hernandez, RHP (6-5, 3.03 ERA)
Zack Greinke, RHP (4-8, 3.94 ERA) vs. Erik Bedard, LHP (1st start of 2010)
Kyle Davies, RHP (4-6, 5.64 ERA) vs. Doug Fister, RHP (3-4, 3.22 ERA)