Sucks to Suck Part 1

By Patrick

The Mariners suck. The Padres suck. So tonight, it sucks to suck in San Diego. Except the weather in Seattle is just complete shit and San Diego likely has tons of sun. I hate my life. Anyhow, the M's can't afford to lose games in this series. They inevitably will probably lose one, but they shouldn't if they want to gain respect. 

Petco Park is possibly the only park that stymies offense more effectively than Safeco. So this series will test the Mariner offense yet again. Also, I hate the Mariners-Padres series for that reason. Nobody ever scores, and since Adrian Gonzalez left San Diego, there are no elite hitters on either team. Maybe the Mariner pitching will improve as a result of the crappy Padres offense.

June 22: Kevin Millwood (3-5, 3.69) vs. Clayton Richard (4-7, 3.97)

Richard healed up against the Mariners last time he opposed them, and will look to continue his resurgence tonight. Millwood would like to find some consistency by defeating a crappy offense tonight. Hmmm. Not much to say here. Richard is left-handed, which doesn't traditionally favor the Mariners' lefty heavy lineup. Millwood has pitched against every team in every park, so maybe he can use his experience to succeed tonight. The Mariners need a good start, that's for sure. Maybe Millwood is the man to give them that tonight.

Players to watch

Miguel Olivo: I'm pissed the Mariners aren't playing Jesus Montero tonight. So all of us will inevitably have to watch Olivo. He's right handed though, so he'll probably hold a small advantage over Richard. I have a good feeling about him tonight. He has to earn his PT on the road in interleague play, and I bet he does that. If not, Montero will probably pinch hit anyway.

Carlos Quentin: No explanation needed here. If you happened not to catch my preview from the last series, I told you not to watch anybody else besides Quentin. I do not change my stance. Change the channel when the M's pitch.

Prediction:

M's 5, Padres 2: Vengeance is sweet. When you're avenging a sweep to the Padres, it's kind of expected. The M's need a sweep this weekend. This is the place to start. A homer by Olivo and another by Justin Smoak should do the trick. Go M's.