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Pretty soon, two of the best teams in the American League are going find out which club has bragging rights over the other. Starting tonight, and over the next eleven days, the Red Sox and Mariners are going to be
way too familiar with each other—playing
seven times in that compact period of time. It starts with four games at
Safeco Field and winds up with a three-game set at
Fenway Park (June 22-24). Seattle is one of the most surprising teams of 2018—
currently in first place in the American League West, a half-game ahead of the World Series Champion Houston Astros. They are currently on a four-game winning streak—and have won eight of their last ten. Even without perennial All-Star
Robinson Cano (suspended 80 games for violating the MLB's joint drug agreement),
the M's are 23-12 at the cozy confines of Safeco (which, in our opinion, is the best ballpark in baseball). There are basically two guys who have powered the Seattle offense this year—right-fielder
Mitch Haniger (16 HRs, 52 RBIs) and shortstop
Jean Segura (.347 BA). While
Kyle Seager has had an off year, some of the slack has been picked up by players like
Dee Gordon (.282) and
Nelson Cruz (16 HRs). Veteran starters
Mike Leake and
James Paxton have led the way in the rotation, while
Felix Hernandez has not had his best season (5.70 ERA). Closer
Edwin Diaz has been solid in the Mariner 'pen—notching 25 saves already this season. So, around the end of June, we should know if the M's are for real—or if the Red Sox have burst their bubble.
