Series Preview: Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Guardians

The Seattle Mariners host the Cleveland Guardians for the first time this season. It's a four game series in late August. The M's are holding the division lead by a few games. Cleveland is the last wild card spot. If the season ended today, the playoff series would be played in Cleveland. Ichiro is being inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame on Saturday.

The Guardians are the youngest team in MLB. They are currently third in the AL Central. Since the All Star Break, they have won or split every series. They came off a two-game sweep of the Padres.

Cleveland Guardians are in the playoffs. They are led by José Ramirez, who signed an extension to stay with the team until 2028. Andrés Giménez and Oscar Gonzalez have had a good season. Steven Kwan is a third-place contender for AL Rookie of the Year.

Triston McKenzie is throwing his fastball harder than he did last year and throwing it in the zone more often. He didn't follow up his promising debut in 2020 with a lackluster sophomore season last season. His strikeout rate isn't as gaudy as it was back in 2010, but he's well on his way to replicating the success he enjoyed during his rookie campaign.

Shane Bieber had a difficult season last year due to injury. He has been completely healthy this year, but his fastball velocity has dropped by nearly two ticks. His strikeout rate has fallen to 24.7%, but he's still within his career norms.

Zach Plesac enjoyed a breakout year during the 2020 season but has struggled to maintain that kind of success since then. His fastball has never been the highlight of his repertoire and he had to rely on his breaking balls and changeups to carry his success. Now he's trying to nibble his way around the zone without an overpowering or even average fastball.

Aaron Civale's career ERA and FIP are within a couple of decimal points of each other. This year, his ERA is more than a run and half higher than his Fip thanks to low strand rate and high BABIP allowed. Civales has made significant adjustments to his repertoire this year.

The Mariners are second in the AL West, ten games behind the first-place Astros and third-placed Rangers. Seattle is a game and a half behind Rays for the top spot in Wild Card race. The Orioles, Twins and White Sox are nipping at Seattle's heels.