The LA Angels and Seattle Mariners are playing live on the Opening Day schedule from Safeco field on Monday and the matchup starts at 4:10 pm ET on ROOT as Felix Hernandez takes the ball for the M's as they host Los Angeles and this AL West matchup has the Mariners looking like the favorites in the division this year.
Hernandez has been fantastic in the past on opening day and the Mariners come into the game with more optimism than they have had in years. The Mariners come in looking like playoff contenders after finishing one game out of a wild card spot last season and now Felix will have the ball. Felix has been pitching on Opening Day for years and the Ma's have continued to play well in their first games. The M's have won since 2007 and now the team is looking to get started again.
The team added the big bat of Nelson Cruz to the lineup along with Justin Ruggiano and Seth Smith and all that should help the team get where they want to be on offense. Felix is about to have his eighth opening day start and he is coming off of a fantastic season with the M's. Felix should have won the Cy Young after leading the league in ERA with a 2.14 mark and he also had a fantastic stretch of 16 consecutive starts in which he allowed two or less runs in at least seven innings, but of course that is all from last year.
The Mariners have been building up to this for years and now they have players like Mike Zunino and Kyle Seager ready for huge seasons and Robinson Cano is coming back for year two with the M's. The Mariners feel they have a playoff roster and with the AL West wide open this season, they have the chance to get started against the winners of the division from last season with the Angels.
The Bullpen was fantastic last season and the team is hoping to do it again. The Angels come in after dealing with the Josh Hamilton situation and they have a number of young players surrounding superstar Mike Trout. Trout won MVP last season and everyone expects him to have another big year and with Hamilton injured, the team needs Trout more than ever. The Mariners have James Paxton and Taijuan Walker starting in the rotation and that means the future is now for the M's and they want to get in while all of their players are in their primes, including Cano and Felix.
Check here for the LA Angels and Seattle Mariners live coverage.
