Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
It doesn’t get much better than the performance the Seattle Mariners put on sweeping the Los Angeles Angels in the final series of the first half. Sure they could have had three consecutive shutouts but seriously the three pitching performances were about as good as you can expect from the trio of Joe Saunders, Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Iwakuma and Hernandez are flip-flopping but going with the same three against the Houston Astros should reap the same rewards. A sweep to end the first half and to begin the second would be quite a feat for the Mariners.
Whether or not they are sellers or buyers or neither, it seems that the Mariners actually care about winning baseball games. It’s crazy I know. Raul Ibanez might go somewhere but if he does they better get the kitchen sink and everything else in the deal back towards them because he is carrying this team offensively and at least emotionally right now. I honestly think only a few players will go anywhere for the Mariners but the big three that will try for their second consecutive sweep of a series isn’t going anywhere.
Are they the best pitchers in MLB? No, not really. Hernandez has as good of stuff as anyone with an arm and at any given time could be considered one of the best but the other two in this trio rarely get mentioned. Saunders is one of the best journeyman pitchers in recent memory while Iwakuma could be just as good as Hernandez on any given day as well. All in all the Mariners have to like a lot about this team. They probably like enough about it in fact that they will leave most of it in tact and see how far their own personal big three can take them.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google Plus.
