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King Felix opens campaign in Oakland

Apr 1, 2011 - 2:36 PM (Sports Network) - Felix Hernandez hopes for a little more support this season than he received a year ago, as he and the Seattle Mariners kick off their 2011 campaign against the Oakland Athletics

With Cliff Lee on board Seattle entered last season with high expectations, but things didn't go as planned. Lee opened the year on the disabled list and the Mariners got off to an awful start, dealt him at the deadline, fired their manager and eventually finished the year with an American League-high 101 losses.

The one constant through the misery, though, was Hernandez, who was the AL's Cy Young Award winner despite a rather ordinary 13-12 record. The native Venezuelan topped the majors with a 2.27 earned run average, placed second in both strikeouts (232) and innings pitched (249 2/3), and lasted into the seventh inning in 30 of his 34 starts.

The most telling stat -- in his 12 losses, the Mariners produced only seven runs when he was on the mound. He also allowed eight earned runs over his last 10 trips to the hill.

Hernandez is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his three previous Opening Day assignments.

So while Seattle tries once more to get back on course under new skipper Eric Wedge, who piloted Cleveland to a pair of 90-plus win seasons and one AL Central crown over a seven-year span from 2003-09, there's at least some cause for encouragement.

In addition to Hernandez the Mariners do possess one of the game's premier leadoff men in iconic right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, who extended his own major- league record with his 10th consecutive 200-hit campaign in 2010. Oft-injured lefty Erik Bedard -- sidelined all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery -- was both healthy and sharp during spring training, and blue chip prospect -- pitcher Michael Pineda made the team as the fifth starter.

Seattle also took steps to fix an offense that produced a paltry 513 runs last year, the lowest total in the majors since the designated hitter was instituted by the AL in 1973, signing power hitter Jack Cust and catcher Miguel Olivo as free agents over the winter.

Like the Mariners last year, Oakland enters the season with high hopes.

It's been close to a decade since the Athletics ruled the American League West behind a trio of dominant young starting pitchers. The organization is hoping that 2011 is the year when history repeats itself.

The tandem of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito were the driving force behind Oakland's remarkable run of three division titles and four consecutive playoff appearances between 2000-03. Financial constraints eventually forced management to dissolve the group a few years later, and the team has reached the postseason just once since that stellar stretch.

The A's have languished in an extended rebuilding mode following their last AL West crown in 2006, but are finally beginning to reap the fruits of their labor. Oakland halted a string of three straight losing seasons with last year's 81-81 finish and placed in the division's upper tier for the first time since its most recent playoff trip.

Pitching was once again the impetus to last season's improvement, with the Athletics topping the American League in earned run average (3.56), quality starts (103) and shutouts (17). The charge was led by a new incarnation of the famed "Big Three", with kid hurlers Trevor Cahill, who makes his first Opening Day start tonight, Gio Gonzalez and Brett Anderson all displaying skill and maturity beyond their years.

The talented threesome, all of whom are 25 or younger, combined for a 40-23 record in 2010, and Cahill's 18 victories were the most by an AL pitcher under the age of 23 since Bret Saberhagen won 21 in 1985. And with a deep and experienced bullpen headlined by All-Star closer Andrew Bailey also on hand, it's understandable why the A's are being hailed as a dark-horse contender in many circles.

With the pitching mostly set, general manager Billy Beane turned his offseason attention to fixing an offense that ranked only 11th in the AL in runs scored last year and produced a mere 109 home runs, the third-lowest total in the majors. He landed outfielders David DeJesus and Josh Willingham in separate winter trades and signed veteran designated hitter Hideki Matsui to a one-year contract, with those three slated to comprise the 3-4-5 spots in the revamped order.

The relief corps received some reinforcements as well, with Beane bringing in two seasoned arms in left-hander Brian Fuentes and fiery righty Grant Balfour via free agency. The moves were part in part as insurance, as Bailey underwent elbow surgery in September and missed some time this spring with a forearm strain.

Oakland was 13-6 last season against the Mariners.