Oakland @ Seattle preview
T-Mobile Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 13, 2010 ) Oakland 0, Seattle 3
The Seattle Mariners saw a very encouraging sign in Tuesday’s victory over Oakland Athletics – production from Milton Bradley’s bat.
Bradley had struggled mightily during his first eight games with the Mariners before breaking out in a big way with two hits, including a game-winning three-run homer in the eighth inning.
Before his heroics, Bradley was pressing while trying to impress his new teammates. He began the season as the cleanup hitter but was dropped to sixth in the order in the midst of a 1-for-22 start.
Bradley should be feeling a lot less pressure when he arrives at the ballpark for today’s finale of the three-game series after his first memorable moment with the Mariners.
Bradley showed signs of life when he hammered a fourth-inning double down the left-field line with one of his best swings of the season. Of course, that swing was easily topped with the booming blast deep into the right-field seats in the eighth.
Overall, Bradley went 2-for-4 on Tuesday to raise his average to .115 as Seattle beat Oakland for just the second time in six meetings this season.
This is the second consecutive April that Bradley has gotten off to a very slow start with a new team.
Bradley was a major disappointment with the Chicago Cubs in 2009. His season started with a 1-for-25 slump and ended with a team suspension.
The Mariners were hoping that a change in scenery would help and that Bradley would be much more relaxed playing in the out-of-the-way atmosphere of Seattle as opposed to the pressure-cooker environment of Wrigley Field.
But as Bradley’s season-opening slump worsened, so did his antics, the worst being when he flashed his middle finger at Texas Rangers fans on Friday night.
Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu had a sit-down with Bradley after learning of the incident, and the focus of the chat was on the need for Bradley to relax. The overly sensitive Bradley has always put a lot of pressure on himself and it has often been a problem for the talented outfielder now playing for his eighth major league team.
Oakland hopes that Bradley’s bat will return to its previously silent form when lefty Gio Gonzalez takes the mound today in the finale of the three-game series.
Gonzalez pitched six innings in his first start of the season, striking out six while recording a victory over the Angels. Gonzalez allowed two runs on six hits.
Gonzalez walked just one hitter - was a pleasing sign for a pitcher who walked 56 batters in just 98 2/3innings last season.
Taking the mound for Seattle is left-hander Jason Vargas, who was hit hard in this first start of the season. Vargas allowed five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings against Texas last Friday.