Mariners Analysis

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Fun game tonight

Any long time Mariner fan knows how hard it has been historically to win in Oakland. We used to consider losing two of three a good trip, and basically just hoped we didn't get swept every time the M's flew down.

Tonight we have Moyer and Zito, two great left handers who are a joy to watch. When Zito is on, his curve is a thing of beauty, and it will be interesting to see if he finishes the year in Oakland. Will be be pitching his way out of an A's uniform this season, and where would he go? It's hard to see Beane losing him for nothing, and he likes to sell when the value is high.

Moyer is simply fascinating to watch. He is a model for every aspiring pitcher who doesn't have a 95 mph fastball. Watching him throw consistenly in the 70's and 80's is absolute proof on how to be successful as a pitcher... mix your speeds. Watching a huge slugger corkscrew himself into the ground chasing an 82 mph changeup is better than almost anything else on TV... with Moyer I really feel like you miss something on radio. You have to see him pitch to really appreciate it.

So the M's come into this series playing at least decent baseball. The Athletics came in struggling. Zito has been on fire lately, and owns the M's (10-2). Moyer lost last Thursday 1-0 on a balk!

Remember, these .500 teams do crazy things. Let's see if they can take the sting away from last nights game.