MLB Baseball 9/2/10

Cleveland Indians (53-80) at Seattle Mariners (52-81)

Josh Tomlin (R) (2-3) (4.08) vs. Doug Fister (R) (4-10) (3.73)

By Mark-Thursday, September 2, 2010 10:10 PM EST

Statistical Match Up & Odds

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Cleveland fell to the White Sox 6-4 for their fourth consecutive loss and seventh in ten games. The three game sweep at the hands of Chicago was frustrating in itself, but more so considering the Indians were leading or tied late in each game. It doesn’t sound like a great time to be hitting the road for seven games but starting it in Seattle could be beneficial considering they have won five straight there and 18 of the last 25. Cleveland will send rookie Josh Tomlin to the mound looking to extend their mastery over the Mariners, a team he’ll face for the first time. He entered his last start versus Kansas City on a three game losing streak riding an inflated ERA of 5.50 before allowing three runs in five innings of a 15-4 win. Tomlin has struggled on the road in his two starts, losing both while logging a 4.91 ERA.

Seattle lost to the Angels 4-2, and bring just a 3-7 record in their last ten to the table. If you were writing a book, you could almost use the previous page when writing about the Mariners offense in that they don’t score. A paltry three runs is their highest offensive showing over the past dozen or so games and is indicative of a team ranked at the bottom of baseball in runs scored, batting average and homeruns. Doug Fister takes the ball fully aware that he needs to be almost perfect. His ten defeats on a decent 3.73 ERA says he doesn’t get much run support, but the entire rotation has the same problem. Fister lost 1-0 to Minnesota in his previous outing, going seven innings in the defeat. He didn’t get a decision in an August match up with Cleveland in which he allowed three runs in 6.1 innings of a 4-3 loss.

I see this game as a way for Cleveland to get their young players some more experience in a new ballpark. Seattle’s struggles have gotten one manager fired and based on their performance since, the front office had better look in the mirror before placing the blame anywhere else because this team’s make up is of their own doing. A tough choice here for obvious reasons but Fister has the stuff to win this if he gets some support.

Mark's Pick: Seattle

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