Angels at Mariners
The Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners are expected to battle for American League West supremacy in 2015, and it may come down to which supporting cast delivers the most. Los Angeles' David Freese and Seattle's Seth Smith have been the first two to make significant contributions, and they'll try to do it again when the Mariners host the Angels on Wednesday in the rubber match of their season-opening three-game series.
After Smith collected two doubles, a triple and two RBIs on Monday in Seattle's 4-1 victory, Freese provided a two-run homer Tuesday in Los Angeles' 2-0 win. “I feel better than I did last spring, that’s for sure,” Freese told reporters prior to the regular season. “I think my timing is a lot better. I’m ready to hit. I came into camp feeling the same, which is promising.” While each team got strong pitching performances from Felix Hernandez and C.J. Wilson, the Angels' Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, and the Mariners' Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz are a combined 5-for-29 over the first two games. Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma, who is 37-19 with a 2.97 ERA in 77 career starts over his first three seasons, opposes 2014 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up Matt Shoemaker.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), ROOT (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Matt Shoemaker (2014: 16-4, 3.04 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (2014: 15-9, 3.52)
Shoemaker, who possesses one of the best split-finger fastballs in baseball, yielded one run in 6 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday in his final tuneup. “Matt has so many things he can do,” his manager Mike Scioscia told reporters about the 28-year-old Michigan native. “He’s got the ability to throw the split under a swing if he needs to, or throw it for a strike. ..." Shoemaker is 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in four appearances (three starts) against Seattle.
Iwakuma allowed four runs in 11 innings over three spring training appearances before pitching two scoreless frames in a minor-league game Thursday, but did not throw any split-finger fastballs after developing a blister March 28. "I did what I needed to do here in spring training,'' the Tokyo native, who turns 34 on Sunday, told reporters. "I got through all of my preparation. So I’m ready to go now.” Iwakuma is 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA in 10 outings (nine starts) against Los Angeles.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pujols and Trout are a combined 10-for-53 with 14 strikeouts against Iwakuma.
2. Freese, who bats cleanup against left-handers, needed eight games to hit his first home run last season.
3. The Angels play 19 of their 22 April games against the AL West.