05/30 Padres v. Mariners Preview: The Cashner/ Hernandez Showdown

The day is here. The big one. The one we've all been waiting for. Cash vs. Clay. Additional sentence fragments meant to convey excitement.

Since 1989 it seems the Mariners have had a policy of employing at least one superstar at any given time, and right now Seattle is King Felix's kingdom. Felix Hernandez has done just about everything in his eight years of service time. Cy Young? Check. Perfect game? Check. Three strikeouts in an inning on nine pitches? Check. Highest paid pitcher in the game? Check, for like a month. World Series ring? Well, no, but I can't really give him any grief for that because... you know.

The newly-naked-faced Andrew Cashner has yet to build a list of accomplishments rivaling those of Hernandez, but the possibility that he could has gotten many a lap tingling. Since coming over from the Cubs for Anthony Rizzo, Cashner has been a mixed bag of injuries and excitement but seems to be settling into his starting role nicely this year. Oh, and it's practically required to mention that he can throw 100 MPH. He isn't maxing it out these days now that he has multiple innings to worry about but it's just nice to know that he can.

Both Hernandez and Cashner have enjoyed success this season. Hernandez has a 2.51 ERA but it was a run lower before his last two starts, in which he yielded five earned runs and picked up a loss each time. Cashner has been trending in the other direction, winning his last two starts despite giving up four runs over six innings his last time out.

It should prove to be a real pitcher's duel but, as we've come to see time and time again, "should" and "could" don't really mean a whole lot when it comes to baseballing around.