Seattle @ Oakland preview
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Last Meeting ( May 6, 2014 ) Seattle 8, Oakland 3
The Seattle Mariners find themselves above the .500 mark as they enter a doubleheader in Oakland to complete a four-game series. Seattle has won nine of its last 11 games after claiming the first two contests to move within two games of the first-place Athletics in the American League West. The teams are playing a doubleheader due to an April 4 game being postponed when the field was unplayable after it rained hard overnight without a tarp on the field.
Second baseman Robinson Cano was one of five Seattle players to record two hits in Tuesday’s victory, which came hours after he was slammed by former teammate Mariano Rivera in a book released Tuesday. Rivera and Cano played together for nine seasons with the New York Yankees and the future Hall of Famer was critical of Cano’s drive and intensity, saying “you don’t see that red-hot passion in him that you see in most elite players.” Cano shrugged off the criticism while Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon put it this way: “All I can tell you is check the book – he plays 160, 162 games a year. I think that’s pretty good passion.”
TV: 3:35 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), CSN California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Felix Hernandez (3-1, 2.53 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Dan Straily (1-2, 5.01)
Hernandez has already beaten Oakland twice this season, giving up three runs and 10 hits in 15 1/3 innings while rolling up 19 strikeouts against just one walk. The victories raise his career results against the Athletics to 17-7 with a 2.60 ERA in 31 starts. Hernandez is 0-1 in four starts since beating the Athletics on April 11.
Straily lost to the Mariners on April 5 when he gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. He defeated Minnesota on April 10 for his lone win and also is 0-1 over his last four turns. Straily is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in four career starts against Seattle.
WALK-OFFS
1. Oakland 3B Josh Donaldson was 0-for-4 on Tuesday but drew a walk and has reached base in 28 consecutive games.
2. The Mariners are 6-1 on a nine-game road trip and have scored 63 runs over their last 11 games
3. Athletics RF Josh Reddick (ankle) is expected to start at least one of the games.
PREDICTION: Mariners 7, Athletics 3