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The Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland A’s line was coming in at -113 as the new MLB season kicks off in full force. All odds were courtesy of Sportsbook.com.
Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez will face Trevor Cahill when Seattle visits Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Friday night in its season opener.
Hernandez was 13-12 last season with a 2.27 ERA and 232 strikeouts in 249.2 innings. He also had a 1.06 WHIP, six complete games and one shutout. The right-hander was just 5-8 on the road, but that's certainly deceiving since he still had a stellar 2.46 ERA in 18 road starts. Hernandez had three starts versus Oakland in 2010 and got one decision, despite a sparkling 2.61 ERA. In 20.2 IP, he punched out 23 A's hitters and allowed six earned runs. He threw eight shutout innings with 13 K in a 2-0 victory last August in Seattle. In his two no-decisions at Oakland last April and May, he allowed six total runs in 12.2 IP. Hernandez has a career mark of 9-4 with a 2.83 ERA against the Athletics in 17 starts.
In hopes of supporting their ace and the entire starting staff with more runs (the Mariners were 30th in the majors with 513 runs scored in 2010 and 30th in BA at .236), Seattle signed former A's designated hitter Jack Cust (.272 BA, 13 HR, 52 RBI, .395 OBP). The Mariners will be without closer David Aardsma (31 saves, 3.44 ERA), who is recovering from offseason hip surgery, and center fielder Franklin Gutierrez (.245 BA, 12 HR, 64 RBI), who is on the disabled list with a digestive tract issue.
Cahill finished last season with an 18-8 record, 2.97 ERA, one complete game and one shutout. He also had a 1.11 WHIP with 118 strikeouts in 196.2 innings. The right-hander faced the Mariners once in 2010 and pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts in a 9-0 victory last Oct. 1 in Seattle. That was his only win in his career against the Mariners, whom he is 1-3 lifetime in five starts with a 2.93 ERA.
Cahill also dominated at home in 2010 to the tune of an 11-3 mark and 2.18 ERA in 15 starts. Like Seattle, Oakland is hoping to support its strong, young rotation with an improved offense. The A's ranked 23rd in runs scored with 663 and 26th in slugging percentage (.378), and added Josh Willingham (.268, 15 HR, 66 RBI, .389 OBP, .459 SLG), David DeJesus (.318, 46 runs, 37 RBIs, .384 OBP) and Hideki Matsui to their lineup (.274, 21 HR, 84 RBI) in the offseason.
Seattle and Oakland met 18 times last season, and the Athletics went 13-5 against the Mariners. Seattle was just 1-7 at Oakland in 2010
