The Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners meet Monday in an afternoon Independence Day game that features an intriguing pitching matchup. Brandon McCarthy makes his return from the disabled list and faces Michael Pineda, a man some have called a bigger version of Felix Hernandez. McCarthy was pitching well before he got hurt so it will be interesting to see if he retains that edge coming back.
Given the A’s offensive struggles this season, they will have their work cut out for them against Pineda. He struggled a bit in his last start against Atlanta but has otherwise been fairly solid for the Mariners. The A’s will send out a fairly similar lineup as Scott Sizemore appears to be entrenching himself as the number two hitter in the lineup. In two games as the number two hitter, Sizemore is 5-for-8. The A’s have moved Cliff Pennington into the nine spot during that time as Bob Melvin continues tinkering with the optimal lineup while Josh Willingham is out.
This could turn into quite the pitcher’s duel as two of the bottom three offensive teams will be squaring off. The A’s have scored 299 runs on the year and the Seattle Mariners are bringing up the rear with 286 runs scored. Even Ichiro is struggling for the Mariners as he is on pace for his first sub-.300 season and did not make the American League All Star team for the first time in his career.
Oakland Athletics
1. Jemile Weeks 2B
2. Scott Sizemore 3B
3. Coco Crisp CF
4. Hideki Matsui DH
5. Chris Carter 1B
6. David DeJesus RF
7. Conor Jackson LF
8. Kurt Suzuki C
9. Cliff Pennington SS
Seattle Mariners
1. Ichiro Suzuki RF
2. Brendan Ryan SS
3. Adam Kennedy 3B
4. Justin Smoak 1B
5. Dustin Ackley 2B
6. Jack Cust DH
7. Greg Halman CF
8. Carlos Peguero LF
9. Josh Bard C