The LA Angels are in Seattle to face the Mariners in what could turn out to be a defining moment for the AL West. The Mariners are just one game back of division leading Oakland and the Angels have managed to get within five games. Meanwhile, Oakland is at home facing one of the best teams in baseball, Detroit. It’s possible that Oakland loses two of those games and perhaps gets swept. They just got swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

If one of these two teams sweeps the other, it could rocket them towards the top. For the Mariners, a good series should put them in first place. For the Angels, a solid series could put them within striking distance right before the All Star break. The Mariners are sending King Felix to the mound—Felix Hernandez. Meanwhile, the Angels are sending out Jered Weaver. The Mariners are a slight favorite at -121. The under/over is only 8 for this match up.

Seattle has been hot, but they just dropped two of three in Seattle to the Rockies. To their credit, they should have won yesterday. They blew it. The Mariners ran themselves out of a couple of innings that should have produced at least one run, which would have given them a win. Also the manager waiting too long to take out the starter. Still, they were in the game until a costly mistake in the outfield by center fielder Jeremy Reed. After some uncertainty, he failed to make a catch in the outfield, which ultimately led to 2 runs. The Mariners lost 4-3—Ichiro homered in the bottom of the 11th.

The Angels have been quietly putting together wins. They have won two straight and 6 of their last 10. The recent slide by Texas (3-7 in last 10) and Oakland (4-6 in last 10) has allowed the Angels to gain a little ground back. They are still five games back, but it could have been much worse. From their standpoint, they are right in the thick of things. It’s funny how the NL West and AL West mimic each other. In both divisions, every team is still in the race for the lead.

Look for Felix Hernandez to put in a solid outing and for the Mariners to come out swinging. While the under/over is 8, the Mariners could put lots of runs on the board. I expect them to put up at least five runs tonight. The main question is the Angels. At any rate, I like the Mariners tonight.

They have a solid pitcher on the mound, they are at home, they are putting up runs on the board and they are playing like a winning team. They also have the motivation of being able to be in first place tonight if they win and Oakland loses to the scorching hot Tigers. The Angels took two of three from the beat up Dodgers—boy are they playing like you know what lately. Also in Weaver’s last outing, which was against the Rockies, Colorado scored 12 runs. The Rockies won the game 12-4. That game was a home game for the Angels. I expect more of the same tonight.