Commence Operation Sweep the Royals Again.
SEATTLE MARINERS KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Ichiro RF DeJesus CF
Winn LF Gotay 2B
Ibanez DH Sweeney DH
Beltre 3B Stairs 1B
Sexson 1B Long RF
Lopez 2B Berroa SS
Morse SS Teahen 3B
Bloomquist CF Buck C
Borders C Costa LF
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Franklin (3-10, 4.85) Howell (1-2, 6.98)
JP Howell was the 31st overall pick a year ago by the Royals, a lefty out of Texas with a sparkling track record despite an underwhelming repertoire. He has just 114.2 innings of professional experience, but has progressed all the way from rookie ball to the Majors in a calendar year. As someone the Mariners have never seen before, Howell's as good a bet as any to throw seven shutout innings today, but there's a chance that he'll succumb to inconsistent command. As for Ryan Franklin, you know the story. The Royals don't have a single player with ten home runs, so Ryan should be able to avoid the longball, but he could still have some trouble against an offense that's actually been a little better than ours over the course of the season.
LET'S GO MARINERS!