Friday, June 11, 2010

MARINERS: @San Diego Padres Series Preview (June 11-13)


The San Diego Padres are inviting the Mariners to town for a weekend three-game series starting tonight. The 35-25 Padres are one game behind the Dodgers in the tight NL West, and are looking to pick up on a 5-5 10-game streak. The struggling Mariners are 23-37, 4-6 over their last 10, and have given up 60 runs over the last two series.

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The Mariners send Jason Vargas (4-2 3.06 ERA) to the mound to face Kevin Correia (5-4, 5.03 ERA) in an effort to stop the bleeding. The Mariners are currently 10 games back and are arguably out of range to mount a comeback for the season.

The second game will pit the Mariners’ ace Cliff Lee (4-2, 2.77 ERA) to the mound against Wade LeBlanc (3-4, 3.21 ERA). The final game of the series will see struggling Felix Hernandez (3-5, 3.77 ERA) face Clayton Richard (4-3, 2.72 ERA)

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez may be the most interesting part of the entire series, leading the Padres in average, OPS, HR, and RBI. He has been a star in the system, but also has been considered in trade rumors repeatedly. With the recent success of San Diego, it is not likely that they’ll be shopping Gonzalez, but his performance will be fascinating in its own rite.


Reach M. Wend at nextseasonsports@gmail.com