Athletics at Mariners
Robinson Cano is hotter than lava to begin the season and looks to
continue the torrid start when the Seattle Mariners host the Oakland
Athletics in Friday's opener of a three-game series. Cano has four
homers over the first three games to become the first second baseman to
homer in each of his team's first three games since Hall of Famer Bobby
Doerr in 1941.
The Mariners are excited over Cano's spectacular start as he experienced an extreme power outage in the first half of last season and didn't hit his fourth homer until June 26. Cano underwent hernia surgery in the offseason and reported to spring training feeling much better than he did 12 months earlier. "He's a special player, everybody knows that," third baseman Kyle Seager said. "When you're playing through injury and nobody knows about it, that's tough. He's good. But you could tell in the spring, you can tell in (batting practice), you can tell just the way he's walking around and moving. He looks pretty good." Oakland started the season with three losses in four games against the Chicago White Sox, batting just .212 with one homer in the series.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), ROOT (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Eric Surkamp (2015: 0-0, 10.80 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Taijuan Walker (2015: 11-8, 4.56)
Surkamp was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to make the start in place of Felix Doubront, who went on the disabled list with an elbow injury. The 28-year-old hasn't started a major league game since July 23, 2013 for the San Francisco Giants and is aiming to make an impression on the Athletics, with whom he signed a minor-league contract in the offseason. "I'm excited," Surkamp told reporters. "It's a little bit different as opposed to my last two times getting called up, just being in camp with the guys all spring. I'm just a little more comfortable this time."
Walker, 23, made 29 starts as a rookie last season and the Mariners are expecting a jump in production and in handling the mental challenges of the game. "I went through a whole year in the bigs last year," Walker told reporters. "I went through some ups and downs. I felt like I kind of matured on that part, where I can control my emotions a little more." Walker is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in four career appearances (two starts) against Oakland - he gave up nine runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings against the Athletics in his first outing last season - and has yet to retire first baseman Mark Canha (3-for-3 with a homer).
WALK-OFFS
1. Cano batted .241 with one homer and 14 strikeouts in 79 at-bats against the Athletics last season when the Mariners went 13-6 against Oakland.
2. Seattle clubbed nine homers and scored 21 runs while taking two of three from Texas to begin the season.
3. Oakland LF Khris Davis went 2-for-12 with seven strikeouts in the four games against Chicago.