Game Preview vs. Rangers 5/21

By Anthony



I thought I was like Anthony Davis who plays for Kentucky, one and done with these previews. But apparently driving 15 hours back home after a weekend of shenanigans in California means Patrick gets out of that duty again. No dedication...
 


We get to watch Felix take on Yu Darvish tonight. How excited are Yu for some terrible Yu puns and jokes? Yu're not as excited as me, trust me. I'm more interested in seeing Felix bounce back from one of his worst starts. He needs to be on the top of his game if the M's stand a chance today. The Court should be in session and Safeco should be lively for once.
The M's actually have some momentum after playing a series against the Rockies which saw them look untroubled with Coors Field. They actually scored! They hit with runners in scoring position! Kevin Millwood mocked me with a golden performance. I asked a friend of mine from Colorado how he felt about getting two hit by him and his reply was "Absolutely terrible." I felt the same way because now I have to write about how good his was in the Amigos.

Players to Watch


Anyway, the Rangers are really really good. I would say they are the best team in the league, even if their record isn’t the best. Their lineup is full of animals like Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton. Their bullpen is solid with Mike Adams and Alexei Ogando. The rotation is awesome, Yu Darvish and Derek Holland. So this series could be pretty rough. They’re aren’t quite the Rockies and are miles better than the Red Sox whom we looked silly against. Hopefully Felix can be a King once again.

Yu Darvish


That wasn't hard was it? The guy with a billion pitches who the Rangers paid almost a billion dollars for is in one of the biggest matchups of the year yet. Last time, the M's welcomed him to
America with a six spot and what should have been a win. Now Darvish has become more acclimated to the league and should be on his game. Don't think he doesn't know who he is facing and how he will need to be on his A game. I would expect him to be ready to go and the M's offense needs to do what they did last time, dont swing at pitches outside the zone. Make Yu work! Please! 


Justin Smoak


The former Ranger has bounced back from a slump of sorts with a bit of a hot streak. He needs to keep this up because he is one of the few pieces in the puzzle that need to start hitting and carry the offense. Montero and Seager aside, he is one of the "power" bats in the lineup and he needs to start driving the ball to all fields and keep up his hot streak. Also, STOP SWINGING AT CURVEBALLS! It is embarrassing to watch.


Prediction

Felix does his thing, Seager goes deep in an otherwise uninspiring performance from the offense and Mariners win 2-1. Go M's and #freeJaso