Series Preview: Braves vs. Mariners

For the record, I hardly believe two games can be called a "series", but anywho...

The Seattle Mariners will be playing their third game in three days in three different cities when they kick off a two-game matchup with the Braves in Atlanta. After beating Detroit at home on Sunday, they had to travel to New York for a make-up game Monday before arriving in Atlanta.

Something will have to give as both teams have a winning streak working: Atlanta looks for a fourth straight win while Seattle seeks a fifth also seeks four in a row. Robinson Cano has made himself right at home in Seattle with a .327 avg. (second in the AL) and .376 OBP. Cano also has a 12-game road hitting streak working but has, however, been dealing with a bruised hand and is considered day-to-day.

The Braves will not see Felix Hernandez in either game, and that's a good thing because he shut down the Yankees in his start yesterday. Instead, they'll see Hisashi Iwakuma who, despite a 3.09 ERA, has not had the best of fortune in his last 13 innings (17 hits, 9 runs, 4 HR). The Mariners are in the top 10 in the Majors in ERA (3.52) and WHIP (1.22); their opponent batting average (.238) ranks just ahead of Atlanta (.242), but that's largely because of Felix. There really is no comparison between the two pitching staffs.

While Cano may get a lot of attention, and understandably so, the Mariners get the bulk of their offense out of Kyle Seager, who leads the team in home runs and RBI. He's been hot lately, hitting .415 in his last 11 games. He's not the slickest defender, though: his seven errors at third base are already more than half of his total from 2013.

The Braves have won five straight from Seattle, who last played in Atlanta in 2008.

PITCHING PROBABLES

Tuesday, June 3, 7:10 p.m. ET

Gavin Floyd (ATL)

5 starts, 0-2 W-L, 2.37 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 27 K, .277 BAA

Erasmo Ramirez (SEA)

6 starts, 1-4 W-L, 6.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 24 K, .280 BAA

Wednesday, June 4, 12:10 p.m. ET

Mike Minor (ATL)

6 starts, 2-3 W-L, 3.41 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 30 K, .257 BAA

Hisashi Iwakuma (SEA)

6 starts, 3.2 W-L, 3.09 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 29 K, .236 BAA