Upcoming Series: Mariners vs. Tigers (July 12-15)

Well Mariner fans, here it goes. The site is off and running, and so are the Mariners!

Upcoming Series:

As the break winds down, the Mariners have had a few days prepare themselves for the rest of the season, and the first step is tackling one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Detroit Tigers. They were the Wild Card leading team when the Mariners started our last series against the A's, and ended up leading the AL Central by the break.

They are coming in winning 5 in a row, and 7 of their last 10. They are currently coming off a sweep of arguably the best team in baseball, the Boston Red Sox. The starters they faced that series were Julian Tavarez, who isn't a real starter, Kirk Gabbard who has struggled mightly, and Dice-K, who is posting an All-Star worthy first half.

2 of their previous wins came against a hot Cleveland team.

The Rotation:

Their pitching has been remarkable. They have 5 quality starters, and it will be a tossup on who gets the 5th rotation spot. Their two best by a long shot are Verlander (10-3, 3.14 ERA) and Bonderman (9-1, 3.48). Both have been serious inning eaters, logging 215 combined, and both are averaging just over 8 K's an outing. The 3 other starters, who have been finding a lot of success as well, are Chad Durbin, Mike Maroth and Andrew Miller. However, with the trade of Maroth, the rotation will be set with Nate Robertson. The final piece of the rotation will be the inconsistent Nate Robertson, whose ERA runs around 5, at 4.86.

About the Rotation:

The Tigers have walked the 5th most batters in the AL, at 304. What does this mean? The Mariners will have to work counts, especially since we will most likely see Verlander, who leads the team in walks allowed. The rotation also doesn't go deep into games, seeing how they have one complete game all year, that being Verlander's no hitter. That is a positive, because they are tied for the most in the AL with 14 blown saves. Too bad Zumaya hurt himself playing Guitar Hero, they could sure use him right about now. Another thing going against them is that their rotation has given up quite a few bases, being top 5 in triples and HRs allowed. I don't know if this has anything to do with their offense or pitching, but they also have played in a lot of close games, leading the AL in save opportunities. Once again, another positive, they lead the league in wild pitches and balks. If the Mariners get on base, they should be somewhat greedy, seeing how Pudge is still behind the plate.

The Hitting:

The Tigers have 5 regulars hitting .300 or higher: (Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco, Carlos Guillen, Gary Sheffield, Sean Casey). Among those, Magglio Ordonez is currently leading the league in hitting. Their true power threats are Ordonez and Sheffield, combining for 33 longballs this season, which is impressive taking into account that their home field is massive.

Curtis Granderson is a legitimate threat to take over a game at any point. He has incredible
speed (though he only has 9 steals, he hasn't been caught). He leads his team in doubles with 24, and the MLB in triples with 15. His Achilles Heal is his K's, and they aren't pretty. He has struck out 82 times as a lead off hitter.

About the Hitting:

Detroit, as a team, hits the crap out of the ball. They lead the AL in runs scored as well as run support, with basically 6 runs a game. They also lead the AL in total hits, doubles, are 2nd in triples, and are 3rd in home runs. They, as a team, lead the MLB in batting average hitting an amazing .290!

Keys to the Series:

One key is obviously going to be our offense. In our last 7 games, we are hitting a mere .260, which could lead us to wonder how in the world we're 4-3 in those games. The only reason I can give you is our outstanding pitching. Even with that 17 run stomping in KC, our ERA in those last 7 games is 3.16. In the last 5 games the starting pitchers have allowed a combined 7 earned runs. That's incredible. It is likely that we will see their 1-4 starters, and the same 3 starters we faced last series against them. Verlander and Bonderman came away with 2 wins of the 3 game series.

The Mariners are going to have to work the counts, which seems to be difficult for us, seeing how we rank last in the majors in walks drawn, and that isn't even close. [We have 219, and the next lowest is 253!] The more we work the count, the faster the starters come out, and the faster the starters come out, the better chance we have at tacking on runs against their terrible, injury ridden bullpen. Being too patient with this team will hurt us though. We need to jump on the fat pitch, which they seem to give up quite often.

Our pitching needs to come out strong. Felix will start us off, and the rotation will take its normal order into the 4th and final game. We need to keep the Tigers inside the ballpark, and especially keep Granderson from stretching his legs. We need to paint corners with their 1-9 (their whole line-up hits, and there's no way around it).

Only time will tell us what will become of the Mariners. This first series is of great importance. We're 2.5 out of the lead in our division, and 1.5 out of the Wild Card. We are facing a red hot team in our own ballpark. We need to take advantage of our 27-15 home record. We need to take advantage of the changing mindset of, "HEY! WE CAN WIN!" We need to take advantage of our amazing (as of late) starting rotation and our surprising bullpen.

Here's to you, Mariners. Let's start the 2nd half off with a series victory and let's get Seattle to the playoffs!