The Seattle Mariners are off to a solid start after winning two of their first three games against Oakland and the Athletics will try to even up the four game set on Thursday as the two teams face off from O.co Coliseum in California.
The Mariners won the first two games with a great pitching performance from Felix Hernandez and some power from Michael Morse, who is leading the majors with three home runs, but they faltered on Wednesday to lose 6-2 after being up 2-0 due to some struggles from starter Joe Saunders. Tommy Malone was solid for seven innings in the win and the Athletics got their first victory after being AL West division champions last year.
The Mariners are trying to finish over the .500 for the first time in a decade and the team is using youth to help out, as Thursday starter Brandon Maurer is making his first big-league start. The 22-year-old was solid in spring training and went 3-1 with a sub 2.00 ERA in seven games, giving him the chance to get in the rotation.
The Mariners have youth at many positions, with Dustin Ackley, Franklin Gutierrez and Justin Smoak as well as Michael Saunders and Jesus Montero. The team also added Kendrys Morales and Michael Morse in the offseason. So far Morse has looked fantastic since leading the majors in spring training home runs and he currently is tops in the regular season with three in three games.
AJ Griffin is making his first start since being a surprise rookie sensation last year, going 7-1 in 15 starts. The two teams will next play in May and should make for a competitive AL West battle with the Angels and the Rangers.
