SoCal MLB AL Preview

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) - The Seattle Mariners made an early statement by taking two of three from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last week. This week, they hope their division rival isn't making a similar proclamation.The Mariners hope to salvage a game from their three-game set with the Angels as the teams conclude their series on Sunday.

Despite losing the series finale last Sunday, Seattle had hoped a series win would send a message to Anaheim that it would be a serious contender to the American League Division crown the Angels have claimed in three of the past four years - 2004, 2005 and 2007. Instead, Anaheim won for the 13th time in its last 16 games against Seattle in Angel Stadium as Ervin Santana tossed eight dominant innings on Saturday in a 4-1 win.

The Mariners can only hope that - just like the Angels - they can take the final game of the series when they send Miguel Batista (1-2, 6.35 ERA) to the mound.The righthander, who logged his first win of the season on Tuesday, didn't pitch particularly well - allowing four runs over five innings - but received 10 runs of support in Seattle's 11-6 victory against Kansas City.

His opponent will be Dustin Moseley (1-1, 7.80), who is coming off a no-decision in his last turn. The righthander, who has never started against the Mariners, surrendered four runs and seven hits with five walks over four frames on Tuesday but escaped unscathed when the Angels rallied for a 7-4 win at Texas.