Puckett's Pond
Fansided

Minnesota Twins vs Seattle Mariners Weekend Series Preview

By Scott Wessels

May 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports /

Seattle: The Mariners have the third largest positive run differential (+54), led by their stingy pitching staff. Their team ERA (3.20) leads the AL, and ranks fourth in MLB. That’s a huge improvement from 2015, when the Mariners ranked 12th in the AL with a 4.16 ERA.

What’s impressive, is that their ERA is so low despite the slow start to the season by Hisashi Iwakuma, who nearly tied “King” Felix Hernandez last year for lowest ERA for a Seattle starter. His ERA’s from the past 4 years were all 3.54 or lower, with 2013’s 2.66 his best (and third lowest in AL that year).

Pitching: Off-season pickups, Wade Miley and Nathan Karns, are a combined 9-3 this season. Closer Steve Cishek, a pitcher many Twins fans wanted to see pitching at Target Field, has 12 saves already this year.

Veteran Joel Peralta, now with his seventh team, has carved out a niche in the Mariner bullpen as a setup man. Leading the team with 22 appearances already, Peralta has his highest K/9 rate in his career (11.37), and also has 11 holds at the quarter pole.

Player to Watch: Felix Hernandez is already in his 11th season in the majors, despite being just 30 years old. The innings seems to have caught up to him, however, as his fastball (once 95 mph) now hovers around the 90 mph range, with many in the high 80’s.

Unlike the Twins’ Phil Hughes, who has also lost some speed from his fastball, King Felix doesn’t let it bother him on the mound. He consistently beats batters inside, and relies on his change-up and curveball to get batters out.

Offense: With their home park known for being so stingy in allowing home runs, it’s strange to see Seattle fourth in the majors with 62 home runs. Through 46 games, Cano now has matched his first season home run total with the Mariners (14), and has raised his OPS almost 150 points over last year’s.

The biggest surprise, however, has to be the performance of lead-off hitter Leonys Martin. Acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers for his defense, and coming off a season during which he underwent surgery to remove the hamate bone in his right hand, Martin has already set a career high for home runs (9) in just a quarter of a season.

Despite a slump in early May that saw his batting average at just .182, new Seattle manager Scott Servais liked Martin’s defense and the confidence he provided the pitching staff with the stellar plays day in and day out. Now on a tear, Martin has raised his average to .262 (.320 in May), and not only providing a spark at the top of the order, but driving in runs as well (20).

Player to Watch: Robinson Cano. With one-fourth of the season in the books, Cano is the early favorite for the MVP. His stats (14 HR / 43 RBI / .295 AVG / .929 OPS) is reminiscent of his All-Star days with the Yankees when he was competing for batting titles and hitting home runs. His four year average from 2010-13 was 27 HR / 107 RBI, just before signing a huge contract with the Mariners. Now in his third year, Cano is finally living up to that deal.

Next: Minnesota Breakdown

Home/Minnesota Twins News