Seattle (7-8) at LA Angels (7-9)
When: Friday, April 22nd 2016
Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
Time: 10:05 ET | TV: ROOT, FSN West
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The Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim kick off a three-game series this weekend in Anaheim. The Angels just finished up a 5-5 road trip after yesterday’s 3-2 victory of the Chicago White Sox. Former American League MVP Mike Trout is starting to heat up after a slow start to the season. Trout went 5-for-6 with a homerun in the last two games of the White Sox series to raise his average to .286. The team as a whole has been slow to start on offense this season scoring a second-to-last 2.94 run a game. The Angels have just seven homeruns this season led by Trout and Albert Pujols’ two each. Pujols is hitting just .148 on the season and is hitless in his last 15 at-bats. Seattle is wrapping up a nine-game road trip this weekend where they are 4-2 so far on it. Seattle went four straight games of scoring three or less until yesterday’s 10-7 extra-innings victory over the Cleveland Indians. Robinson Cano’s three-run homer in the 10th inning gives him six for the season – four more than the next closest Mariner (Nelson Cruz).
Pitchers: Mariners – Felix Hernandez (1-1, 1.00 ERA) | Angels – Nick Tropeano (1-0, 0.84)
Felix Hernandez has kept opposing teams off the scoreboard despite his control issues early on. He’s surrendered 13 walks against 20 strikeouts this season after issuing a career high-tying six free passes in a 3-2 victory over the Yankees in New York on Saturday. Hernandez is 14-14 with a 3.30 ERA in 46 starts versus Los Angeles but 6-1, 1.34 over the past two seasons and has little trouble with the slumping Pujols (.208, home run, seven RBIs 13 strikeouts in 53 at-bats). Mike Trout has had success against Felix to the tune of .354, four HRs, 13 RBIs in 65 at-bats.
Nick Tropeano gets his third start of the season in replacing the injured Andrew Heaney in the rotation. Tropeano received a no-decision after allowing one run and five hits in 5.2 innings of a 3-2 loss in Minnesota on Sunday after opening the season with a 4-1 victory in Oakland on April 11 with five shutout innings. It appears the 25-year-old could remain in the rotation for quite some time after the Angels shut down Heaney (strained flexor tendon) this week. Tropeano is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in two starts versus Seattle.
Both teams are struggling to score runs this season, but Seattle is much better so far on the road (6-3). The Angels are struggling too much to all of the sudden break out against King Felix. I’ll take the Mariners in this one.
Pick: Mariners -117
