Rich Hill is the Greatest Pitcher in All the Land!

Well...Either that or he was just pitching against the Mariners and their anemic offense. Regardless, Rich Hill looked amazing last night, and given that he's a left handed pitcher who throws a low-90s fastball, a 12-6 curve and a change, I was pretty impressed he worked the M's to the tune of 7 IP, 0 runs, 2 hits and 7 Ks. This year the M's have held their own against this type of pitcher.

The thing I noticed about Rich Hill watching last night's game and was apparent by the way the M's hitters just looked confused was that he has a very similar throwing motion for both his fastball and his curveball. His release point is nearly identical and because of that you see the M's hitters watch a perfect strike 3 fastball go by or flail aimlessly at a 2 strike curveball in the zone.

This was a frustrating game to watch as the M's wasted another great pitching performance, this time by Jarrod Washburn, and especially on the heels of that Angels series where it looked like the bats might finally come around.

I guess we'll see what happens tonight against David Hernandez with Erik Bedard on the bump for the M's.

Griffey should hit with the pink bat every day

Sorry I'm a little late on this one, had to catch up on some sleep yesterday. But, after a double, a two-run home run and a Mariners win, Griffey should swing the pink stick every game.

Seattle vs. Tampa Bay

If any of you actually listened to the podcast you would know that I cautioned everyone against getting excited about the Mariners' amazing start. I warned everyone that we still have yet to play any of the A.L. East teams.

Well that all changes tonight and I'm now telling you this series is very winnable. The series will feature two of the best defenses in baseball as both lead the league in UZR. So what will this one come down to? Tampa Bay's pitching. Last year Tampa had one of the more impressive starting rotations but as of now they have failed to show a glimpse of 2008. If the starting rotation can keep the Mariners hitters in their current funk I see them winning the series.

But! There is a but, I would take a struggling hitter over struggling pitching. Hitters can be streaky at times and without warning things click and begin to make sense. Seattle has gotten off to this amazing start without much offense. That being said I look for Tampa's pitching to make a comeback but ultimately not the comeback needed to take two-of-three games against the M's.

My guess? Seattle wins Game 1 with Washburn on the mound. Tampa wins Game 2 and Felix dominates the Rays in a pitching duel with James Shields for the Game 3 W and the series win!