The Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies are playing the final game of their interleague series on Wednesday on the MLB schedule from Citizens Bank Ballpark and the matchup has Cole Hamels against James Paxton and the M's want this one, as they are in the second wild card spot and are coming in after a win and this game starts up past 1 pm ET from Philly.
The Mariners come into the game playing well and they have a sub 3.00 ERA for the season and that has been as good as any team in over 20 years. The team is led by Felix Hernandez from the pitching staff and names like Chris Young and Hisashi Iwakuma have been able to give the team some fantastic pitching. Robinson Cano may not have his usual home runs, but he is close to a batting title and deserves some MVP consideration along with Felix.
Hernandez nearly has the Cy Young locked up and now the team faces off against Hamels, the best pitcher for the Phils. The M's bats have woken up since the trade deadline, as they have been one of the worst offenses in the league. The team is currently in a tie with the Tigers for the second wild card and they remain alive in the AL west after being way out of it a couple weeks ago. The team has won seven of its last 10 and this comes as Oakland has been slumping.
The Mariners are in playoff position for the first time in years and that makes this game against Philadelphia even more important. The team has not been to the playoffs since winning 116 games back in 2001 and now they are trying to get things done this year. The team has been pitching with some historic numbers and the bullpen has been the best in the league. The offense is ranked near the bottom of the league in almost everything, but the pitching has been stellar and the team is first in ERA, batting average against and WHIP this season in the AL and NL.
The Mariners are playing very well right now and the move for Austin Jackson has so far worked out and now the team is looking to win the series against Philadelphia before starting a matchup with Boston. King Felix will be at Fenway Park on Friday and that game should be a good one, as he will get the chance to start up a new streak after not allowing more than two runs while pitching seven innings or more for 16 straight starts. Felix still has the runs streak going, but he only lasted five in his last start against the Tigers.
The Mariners are hoping to hold tight in the AL wild card race and this series win could be huge for them if they can get another victory. Cano, Kyle Seager and Felix have been fantastic this season and all could be factors in the MVP vote, even if they don't win.
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