Athletics vs. Mariners: Oakland Looks To Make Move In AL West

The Oakland Athletics open up a critical seven game stretch leading up to the All Star break as they face the Seattle Mariners at home for three games and the Texas Rangers in Arlington for four games. Coming off a series victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks the A's could use the next seven games to gain serious momentum heading into the All Star break.

It begins with three games against the Seattle Mariners at the O.Co Coliseum. The A's are currently 3-4 against the Mariners in 2011 having lost two of three at home to open the season and then splitting four games at Safeco Field. They now host the Mariners in a series that will see the A's having to face current All Star Felix Hernandez on Tuesday and potential future All Star Michael Pineda on Monday. They'll face Jason Vargas in the series finale on Wednesday.

The A's offense will have its work cut out for it in this series given their overall struggles and the relative dominance of the young Mariners pitching staff. The A's offense has been inconsistent at best and some of their young hitters might end up flailing away against the nasty stuff of Pineda and King Felix. For guys like Jemile Weeks and Scott Sizemore who are off to strong starts in 2011, this will be a significant test of their patience and ability.

The A's will welcome back Brandon McCarthy on Monday against Pineda in what will be a stiff challenge for the returning righty. McCarthy is 1-4 and lost his last four decisions before going on the DL but he has put together fairly strong numbers otherwise. He'll look to pick up where he left off before he got hurt. Game two of the series could be the most exciting as Trevor Cahill faces Felix Hernandez. Cahill has been up and down lately, but has a chance to make up for it if he can outduel King Felix. The series wraps up on Wednesday with Guillermo Moscoso facing Jason Vargas.