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After last night's ridiculous, 4 hour slugfest, I'm just glad tonight's game is probably going to be quick. It's Felix Hernandez at the Coliseum. I'm predicting a 2 hour, 2-1 game. That'll be a nice change of pace if nothing else.
Of course, Felix Hernandez (15-8, 3.66) is having potentially his worst year since 2007. That might be a little bit disingenuous – it's not that he's gone down to a #3 starter's level or anything, it's just that he's been maddeningly inconsistent. His ERA by month this year: 1.82, 2.00, 5.51, 2.94, 6.60. This is mainly because of a struggle with the longball and the fickle nature of HR/FB rates, but it's potentially an issue. We'll see if he'll recover from his horrible August.
Jesse Chavez (7-13, 3.93) has been basically as effective as Felix Hernandez this year! Woooo! He even got there in a similar way! His ERA by month: 2.55, 1.93, 4.85, 5.33, 5.24. There's been plenty of speculation as to whether he's a starter or a reliever long term, and he'll be looking to put together a strong September to put those fears to bed.
Here are the lineups:
