Final score: Athletics 6, Mariners 1

What’s happening in Oakland?

Or, more accurately, what’s happening to Oakland in Seattle?

Hisashi Iwakuma followed the script handed to Felix Hernandez last night, exiting after 3.2 IP and a grand total of 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Stephen Pryor received the nod as handpicked closer of the night, ending the ‘pen’s 17-inning scoreless streak with an RBI sac fly to Yoenis Cespedes in the 9th.

Tonight, there were no MLB debuts or single baseball fans to distract us from another 6-1 loss. For the second night in a row, Cespedes benefitted from another error, this time scoring Oakland’s first run on a line drive popped off Kyle Seager’s glove.

For their part, the Mariners found little satisfaction in scoring runs, redeeming Michael Saunders’ Safeco’d home run on an RBI force out by Trayvon Robinson. After the A’s broke out with four runs in the 4th, the M’s retaliated with three hits and a walk, sticking one man in scoring position and and forgetting to find ways to drive him home.

Tomorrow, the Mariners look to escape a sweep with Jason Vargas on the mound against Oakland southpaw Tommy Milone.

Next game: vs. Athletics | September 9 | 1:10pm

Final score: Mariners 3, Athletics 2

What a difference an offense makes.

More specifically, what a difference the Mariners offense makes, when it shows up.

Jason Vargas crafted his sharpest performance of the season, lasting 6.2 innings with 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 earned runs, and 10 strikeouts. He fanned 5 of the first 6 batters, holding the A’s scoreless through 6.1 IP and relinquishing just one run to Yoenis Cespedes on a 88 MPH four-seamer that sailed 424 feet into the left field bullpen.

Brandon League, being Brandon League, collected his fourth blown save of the year. He arrived with 2 outs in the 7th, handed back-to-back singles to Jonny Gomes and Derek Norris, and exited with a no-decision for Vargas and the jeers of the 12,411 fans in attendance.

Still, I said I would talk about offense, so let’s talk about offense. As they did on Monday, the Mariners managed 7 hits, putting 4 men in scoring position and driving in 2 runs. Franklin Gutierrez lined a 92 MPH fastball that landed just short of the left field fence for an RBI double. Ichiro, last night’s leadoff-hitting DH, went 3-for-4 with a pair of base hits and a walk.

The real heroes of the game were Brendan Ryan and Tom Wilhelmsen, who chased off extra innings with a line drive RBI single and a smooth three outs in the 9th. With last night’s outing, Wilhelmsen has extended his scoreless streak to 16.1 consecutive innings in 14 appearances.

After a minor heart attack from Brandon League, I can appreciate this game for representing all the best bits of the 2012 Mariners. They showcased dominant pitching, sharp relief, and clutch hits. The green hydro won. I counted no more than seven A’s fans in attendance.

If today promises more of the same, we may see the M’s shed a few games in their bid for the division the second wild card third place.

Next game: vs. A’s | June 27 | 12:40pm

The day we’ve waited for is less than 24 hours away. As the Mariners begin their trek home to Seattle for tomorrow’s Opening Night, let’s revisit our favorite division rivals—the Oakland A’s.

Current record: 2-3

Last game: vs. Kansas City. The Royals and A’s took a 3-3 game into the 12th inning, when Billy Butler hit a double to score Eric Hosmer for the winning run. When Jonathan Broxton came in to close out the game, he walked two batters, saw Seth Smith score on a Coco Crisp groundout, hit Yoenis Cespedes, and then struck Jonny Gomes to walk in the final run. That’s right; the A’s won on a HBP.

Last series against Seattle: The A’s last faced the Mariners for a two-game series last weekend, which the Mariners swept with 7-3 and 8-7 wins.

Toughest player: Is there any choice but Yoenis Cespedes? Last Friday, he crushed a pitch from Jason Vargas that measured 462 feet over the center field wall. The next night, he pounded a fastball off Steve Delabar for a three-run homer. Before you call it quits on this series, remember that he also went 2-for-6 with 4 strikeouts in 7 AB.

Weakest link: On Seattle’s side, this would be a shared spot by Brendan Ryan and Miguel Olivo. Neither has been solid at the plate, chasing pitches outside the strike zone, taking the first pitch for an easy out, and sliding into first base with runners in scoring position. (Sorry, Olivo, I can’t let that go quite yet.) Barring another round of timeouts, we may be in store for a bit of frustration in an otherwise decent lineup.

Expected result: Given the way the Mariners handled Brandon McCarthy, Bartolo Colon, and the Oakland ‘pen—going 26-for-74 with 5 walks and 15 runs—there’s a fair chance they’ll take the bulk of this series as well. I’m predicting a 2-1 split with at least one long shot from Cespedes.

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For up-to-date news on the Athletics, check out The Oaktown Breakdown.

The Mariners are in first place.

Before you rush to tell me that the beginning of the season has as much value as Spring Training, let me just say that there may be very few times this season when the above sentence will be true. I have to write it while I still can.

Chone Figgins kicked off tonight’s game with a triple off Oakland starter Bartolo Colon. After a slow start in the Cactus League, Figgins heated up this weekend with 6 hits, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs in his last two games. The leadoff spot appears to be treating him quite well so far this season.

At the other end of the lineup, Munenori Kawasaki made his first major league start, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single. However, his most memorable moment of the night comes courtesy of Shannon Drayer:

After racking up a staggering seven runs in four innings, the Mariners hit a bit of a lull. Felix emerged after 6.1 IP with 8 hits, 6 runs, and 7 strikeouts in 29 batters, leaving the last earned run to RHP Steve Delabar. In the 6th, Michael Saunders came through for Seattle’s last run, a solo shot to right field off LHP Jerry Blevins that would be the game-changer in the 8-7 win.

Not willing to be outdone, Yoenis Cespedes reminded the Mariners of his towering 462-foot home run last night, and went deep to center field in the 7th to score Eric Sogard and Coco Crisp and bring Oakland within a run of tying the game. Fortunately, Tom Wilhelmsen and Brandon League made short work of the rest of the lineup, striking out one batter and nabbing the save in a nailbiting finish.

Tomorrow, the Mariners will enjoy an Easter Sunday free of baseball. Their road trip continues on Monday evening with a 4-game series against Texas.

Next game: @ Rangers | April 9 | 5:05pm | 6 days until Opening Night

Albert Pujols. Yu Darvish. Yoenis Cespedes.

Welcome to the AL West, home to some of the biggest names in baseball, two back-to-back World Series appearances, and a large divide between the privileged Rangers and Angels and the less fortunate Athletics and Mariners.

Before the season kicks off on Friday, Aerys weighs in on the challenges facing each team, as well as the players and situations to keep an eye on this year.

Follow the jump for the three biggest questions facing each of the AL West teams in 2012…

» Continue reading “Three Things To Watch In The AL West”

Credit: Keith Allison/Flickr

With the end of Spring Training mere hours away, we turn to Opening Day Part II on Friday. Tomorrow, we’ll examine the Mariners’ spring progress and upcoming challenges in the 2012 season. Right now, take a look at some of this week’s biggest and smallest headlines in the Mariners blogosphere.

Yoenis Cespedes Sends Shawn Kelley To Triple-A — Yoenis Cespedes has power on and off the field. Or, as Jeff points out, the Mariners see Kelley as a “fringe-type” player.

Jason Vargas starting back-to-back games: How rare is it? — According to Larry Stone, pretty rare. He tells the stories of five pitchers who started back-to-back games; only one in Mariners history. Can you guess who?

Carlos Peguero Useful? — Well, he’s not not useful. Still, Bryant Barlett cautions readers to temper their expectations this season. I’m sorry, Mariners WS ’12 guy, it doesn’t look like your Cow Catcher is poised to hit a ton of dingers anytime soon.

We want the Sonics back and the NHL, too — Howard Lincoln’s letter may have touched a raw nerve with Mariners fans yesterday, but the team insists they want the NBA and NHL back in Seattle. They say so four times.

Mariners actions regarding arena proposal make you wonder what their long-term vision truly is — Geoff Baker weighs in with his thoughts regarding the letter, the proposed amendments to the arena plans, and the Mariners’ future goals.

What have you read this week? Share it with us in the comments!

We’ve hemmed and hawed over the future of the Mariners and this upcoming series plenty in the past week, so here’s a little peek at the competition. Tamara Miller joins us from The Oaktown Breakdown to talk A’s, Tokyo, and what it’ll take for Oakland top the AL West this season.

Both the Mariners and Athletics are starting with a core of young players this season. Which Athletics prospects would you expect to debut in Tokyo?

If all goes according to plan, Yoenis Céspedes should be starting in center both games of the series. He’s really the only prospect the A’s have that will be starting in this series.

Give me your starting lineup against the M’s.

My starting lineup? Jemile Weeks 2B, Cliff Pennington SS, Coco Crisp LF, Yoenis Cespedes CF, Josh Reddick RF, Kurt Suzuki C, Collin Cowgill DH, Brandon Allen 1B, and Eric Sogard 3B. I would like to see Cowgill and Sogard in the lineup while they are still “hot,” but I expect the lineup to look a lot more like this: Jemile Weeks 2B, Coco Crisp LF, Josh Reddick RF, Yoenis Cespedes CF, Seth Smith DH, Kurt Suzuki C, Brandon Allen 1B, Cliff Pennington SS, and Josh Donaldson 3B.

» Continue reading “2012 Japan Series: A Word From The A’s”

Less than two hours until game time! Which reminds me, tune in at 12:05pm PST for the first pitch. Again, the game will be broadcast on MLB.TV and 710 ESPN Seattle. Here are your lineups:

Seattle: SS Kawasaki, 3B Seager, LF Wells, C Montero, RF Peguero, DH Catricala, 1B Liddi, CF Saunders, 2B Rodriguez, RHP Beavan.

Oakland: 2B Jemile Weeks, SS Cliff Pennington, CF Coco Crisp, DH Manny Ramirez, LF Seth Smith, RF Josh Reddick, C Kurt Suzuki, 1B Brandon Allen, 3B Josh Donaldson, RHP Graham Godfrey.

Ian Furness of Comcast Sports Net NW points out that of Seattle’s lineup, only two players are poised to become regulars at Safeco this season—Jesus Montero and Kyle Seager. I could already see Saunders fitting in as well, but I guess that’s what these games are here to prove.

On the other side of the camp, Tamara Miller of The Oaktown Breakdown speculates that the A’s lineup is very close to what we might see going into the Japan series, minus the addition of Yoenis Cespedes.

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