Series Preview: Mariners @ Angels (600 Reasons for a bobblehead)

Despite the Angels AND Mariners both hovering around .500 all season, they are both still technically in the wild card mix. Either or both of these teams could make some competitive moves over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Meanwhile, this series kicks off on the day Mike Trout will take live batting practice. The GOAT is that much closer to returning assuming no BP setbacks this weekend and we could even see him in the Texas series next weekend before the All Star Break.

The Mariners are coming off a 2 game series loss to the Phillie but had won 6 of their 8 prior to that. So far this year, the Angels have bested the Mariners 4 games to 2 including a sweep of them in Anaheim back in early April.

Series Question: Who will hit more dingerz in the series - Old Man Pujols or Nelson “steroid” Cruz?

GAME 1

Parker Bridwell v. Ariel Miranda
Friday, June 39th @ 7:07PM

Pitcher vs. Batters

Notable Stats:

Summary:

Parker Bridwell continues to help prove that Billy Eppler has some serious mojo when it comes to combing the waiver wire and trading for players with cash (Bridwell the later). In his 3 starts, Bridwell has a 3.66 ERA and 11 Ks.

Ariel Miranda hasn’t really fooled Calhoun and Escobar much in his short career but he has pitched well against the Angels. He last faced them on May 4th when he allowed just 2 runs over 7 innings.

Verdict: Tough one to call. Bridwell is still making a name for himself in the rotation and beating Miranda to kick off the series would certainly help him.

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GAME 2

Ricky Nolasco v. Cy Rookie Sam Gaviglio
Saturday, July 1st @ 7:07PM

Pitcher vs. Batters

Notable Stats:

Summary:

Ricky Fiasco (yes he’s “re” earned that nickname) actually managed a scoreless start his last time on the mound - against the Dodgers of all teams. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while and I’m not holding out much hope he can do that again. Nolasco has given up 23 dingerz this year and has had a scoreless start just once in 16 tries. He’s faced the Mariners twice this year with 6 ER in 10.1 IP.

Sam Gaviglio takes the mound for the Mariners in this rookie battle. He has a 3.38 ERA this year through 9 games. This righty hurler has been very hard on lefties this year to the tune of a .197 BAA compared to his .281 BAA for righties. Gaviglio has been shaky on the road with an away ERA of 5.40. Gaviglio is predominantly a ground ball pitcher but he’s also given up about 1 HR per game this year.

Verdict: I’m automatically assuming the Angels lose any game that Nolasco pitches thanks to his 3-9 record and a team 4-12 record in games he has started. Also, Cy Rookie is on the mound for the Mariners. This game could go either way.

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GAME 3

Jesse Chavez v. James Paxton
Sunday, July 2nd @ 12:37PM

Pitcher vs. Batters

Notable Stats:

Summary:

Jesse Chavez has got to go into games thinking “Just don’t take me out with runners on base and then put in Alvarez” since that’s a sure way to rack up an “L” like the last time he pitched. Despite a 5-8 record, Chavez hasn’t really been all that much better than Nolasco. He faced the Mariners on April 7th and allowed only 1 run over 5.2 innings.

In his last two starts against the Angels (this year and last), James Paxton has allowed only 1 ER over 13.2 IP. Paxton started out the season with 4 out of his 5 April starts not allowed a single run. However, over his past 5 starts he has a 7.20 ERA. Talk about falling off the horse. In 68 innings, Paxton has only given up 5 homeruns so don’t expect a lot of long balls off him on Sunday.

Verdict: This game is pretty much a toss up the way both of these guys have been pitching lately.

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Overall Verdict: The Angels are favored to win this series (according to FiveThirtyEight) but to quote a famous smuggler “Never tell me the odds”. We prefer it when the Angels AREN’T supposed to win because they them seem to pull it off. However, the odds for all 3 games are VERY close so this series could really go either way.