The Mariners were able to get one win in Yankee Stadium, which Mariners’ fans shouldn’t be disappointed with. While the Mariners (who are still 8-2 in their previous 10 games) have looked like a different, better team as of late, they aren’t on the Yankees’ level… yet. They now head to Camden Yards to play three against the Baltimore Orioles.

Current record: 57-51

Last series: vs. Rays. In a three game series in Tampa Bay, the Orioles and Rays played to three shutouts, with the Rays taking the first game 2-0 and the Orioles winning the second and third by final scores of 4-0 and 1-0.

Last series against Seattle: July 2 – July 4, 2012. The last time these two teams faced the Mariners were bad, and now the Mariners are good. In game one, Hisashi Iwakuma made his first major league start and joined Ichiro and Munenori Kawasaki in making history by being a member of the first starting lineup to include three Japanese players. The Mariners would go on to with that contest thanks to some late-inning heroics by Dustin Ackley and Miguel Olivo. Josh Kinney would make his debut in a Mariner loss in game two of the series, while Hector Noesi would get his last start of the year the next night in yet another loss to the Orioles.

Familiar Faces: Ask any Mariners’ fan what the worst trade of the past decade was and you’ll likely have a unanimous answer. Baltimore clearly came on the winning end of said trade, plucking Adam Jones, Chris Tillman and other prospects out of the Mariners’ farm system. In five years with Baltimore, Jones has never hit below .270. He has been elected to two All-Star games and won a Gold Glove in 2009. He’s currently ranked in the top 10 in the A.L. in WAR. Tillman is 4-1 on the year with a 2.70 ERA in five starts.

The treasure the Mariners’ received for this package? Erik Bedard. Riddled with injuries, Bedard never made more than 16 starts for the Mariners in 3 ½ seasons. While he was good in the time he was on the mound, his outings rarely went past five innings and he quickly lost favor with much of the Seattle fanbase. Bedard has since been traded to the Red Sox and is now leading the National League in losses with 12, pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

» Continue reading “Mariners Series Preview: Baltimore Orioles”

This afternoon, the Mariners face off against the Detroit Tigers, defending ALDS champs and home team to Mariner-wannabe Prince Fielder.

Current record: 10-6

Last game: vs. Rangers. Texas clinched the four-game series with a 3-2 win, when Detroit closer Thad Weber entered the 11th and loaded the bases, handing a bunt single to third baseman Alberto Gonzalez for the tie-breaking run.

Last series against Seattle: June 9 – 12, 2011. Seattle split the series 2-2, managing only a single run in each loss. Three of the four games were started by former Mariners—Michael Pineda, Erik Bedard, and current Tiger Doug Fister.

Over two road trips and one homestand, the M’s went 6-4 against the Tigers: 5-2 at Comerica Park, and 1-2 in Safeco Field.

Toughest player: Prince Fielder. He may not be the most formidable at the plate, but with a shiny 9-year, $214M contract, he bought the spotlight for this series. To date, he’s 19-for-68 with a 0.55 BB/K rate and 4 extra-base hits.

Weakest link: Ryan Raburn. Batting a weak .073/.174/.098 through 14 games, he has gone 3-for-41, hitless since April 17 and unable to reach base in his last three games. Although Raburn made late-inning replacements in the past two match-ups against the Rangers, he hasn’t seen a plate appearance since the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Expected result: This week, my concern lies more with the Mariners’ four-game losing streak than the Tigers’ power-hitting corner infielders. Seattle’s offense looked slightly more competent on Sunday than it did on Saturday (of course, anything is an improvement over being no-hit), but whether they can successfully channel that frustration into sufficient production at the plate remains to be seen.

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For up-to-date news on the Tigers, check out Motown Lowdown.

In this week’s wrap, Boras is indignant at the thought of $78M for Fielder, the M’s get on a 10-step program to rebuild their offense, and we take a look back at the top stories of the year.

Boras: It takes more than 3 to get Fielder — Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago debunks the rumor that Fielder was considering a three-year deal for $78M. According to superagent Scott Boras, “Not only is that inaccurate and delusional, but it seems that some people have gotten into their New Year’s Eve stash just a little bit early this year.”

Hey Cheer Up Idiots — Over on Lookout Landing, Jeff Sullivan has some uplifting words for Mariners fans this holiday season. Things you should be giving thanks for include Prince Fielder rumors, Felix Hernandez rumors, and the M’s 67-95 season.

What is in store for Justin Smoak? — Jon Shields of Pro Ball NW keeps an eye on Justin Smoak, taking a closer look at the first baseman’s rough 2011 season and his potential in 2012.

Spending gap between Mariners, division leaders becoming more impactful even before off-season signing sprees — Geoff Baker explains the 2011 season in terms of MLB payrolls, and rejoices over the Bedard-to-Boston move.

Can The Mariners Score Runs This Season? — Harrison Crow brings you ten steps to offensive success in 2012, beginning with Dustin Ackley and ending with Brendan Ryan.

Carp celebrates holidays with heavy heart — MLB.com’s Greg Johns shares a bittersweet story of the connection between Greg Halman and Mike Carp, reflecting on the former Mariner’s big heart and encouraging spirit.

Newcomers mark season of transition in 2011 — The Mariners release their top five stories of 2011, from the influx of major league debuts to Eric Wedge’s first stab as manager.

Heard any interesting, unusual, or outrageous stories about the Mariners this week? Share them in the comments!