April 7, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Justin Smoak (17) hits an RBI-single to score right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (not pictured) against the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE
How will the Seattle Mariners fare against the American League champion Texas Rangers? Japanese phenom Yu Darvish is the first man they must face.
The Seattle Mariners are getting off to a good start this season. They went into Oakland and took three out of four games from the A's, providing them with a temporary lead in the American League West. The Mariners now face a much stiffer test when they take on the American League pennant winners (two years running) in the Texas Rangers.
This game will be the first major league game for promising Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, who was excellent back in his homeland (1.99 ERA in the past seven years) and fared well in spring training. Here is the lineup that will be going up against Darvish, with his countrymate Ichiro batting third once again.
#Mariners lineup: C Figgins LF, D Ackley DH, Ichiro RF, J Smoak 1B, K Seager 3B, M Saunders CF, M Olivo C, MKawasaki 2B, B Ryan SS, Noesi P
— Jessamyn McIntyre (@JessamynESPN) April 9, 2012
To discuss this week's series with Mariners fans, head on over to Lookout Landing. To talk about the series with Rangers fans, check out Lone Star Ball.
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