Angels Aware: Seattle Series Preview

WHAT: 4 Games

WHERE: Safeco Field, Seattle

WHEN: Tonight thru Thursday evening

WHO: Angels Versus Mariners

HOW: Well the way to beat the Mariners is to score more runs than they do. Their starting pitching is not the greatest and their bullpen is not the greatest either. The hacking singles attack of the Angels is not necessarily the best way to gain and maintain a lead on a team that likes its long bombs and disciplined baserunning as much as the next guy. The defense too is tough, especially if Yuniesky Betancourt has a cup of coffee before the game and plays awake.

GAME 1: John Lackey Versus Jarrod Washburn

Prediction: We will see more pitches out of Lackey and they will be good pitches. Washburn will melt down when our batters see him the 2nd time thru the order. The Mariners will stage a comeback against our bullpen but we will tack on an insurance run or two late and win it 6 - 4.

GAME 2: Matt Palmer Versus Felix Hernandez

Prediction: If we are going to see Shane Loux at any time during this series, it will be tonight, although Palmer's extra day of rest could pay dividends as the movement on his pitches as they near the plate will likely have a little extra zip. Ichiro goes 4-4 against the hanging Palmer curveballs and this one goes extra innings as we battle hard against a Felix who has something to prove. We win it in a funny manner (funny to us, not to Mariner fans) with a bloop squibber by someone under 6 foot tall in our lineup and Justin Speier or Scot Shields end up with the odd victory and Fuentesaurus with the Save, 4-3.

GAME 3: Ervin Santana Versus Jack Ubaskas

Prediction: You don't know Jack, but you don't have to with Ervin Santana dealing his black magic with an Abe Lincoln chinny chin chin and a rosary bead string bleeding out of that $30 million pitching arm. Chris J will stymie the Angels hitters, but Ervin will be embarrassing the Mariners as his slider improves in both dip and bite. Bite Fuentes getting his 2nd save of the series in this 2-1 Angels victory, Mariners!

GAME 4: Joe Saunders Versus Garrett Olson

Prediction: Saunders with an extra day of rest was supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread for the Angels against the Rangers, so let's withhold judgement until we see who is catching him - Mike Napoli judiciously calling for curveballs or Jeff Mathis yeehawing for the dead red high heat. I don't know anything about Garrett Olson and I do not want to waste five minutes of my time researching yet another hurler for the opposition - yawn, a pitcher whose parents thought "Garrett" was a good name for their kid back in 1983, oh wow let's be "new wave" and give the baby a name that rhymes with a vegetable... How about "Megblant?" no, that is not Duran Duran enough... Anyway, big wow, the Mariners have a pitcher and so do we and we leave Seattle late Thursday night with an easy 7-2 victory and it wasn't even that close, Megblant.