They’re hardly titans, but they’re not the Titanic either. This year’s Seattle Mariners are a mediocre team fortuitously placed in a lousy division, among whose lousy members are the Oakland A’s. In three games, the first-place M’s will battle the lowly A’s to maintain their spot atop the American League West. Sadly, though, the seafarers will be sending out their three lousiest starting pitchers. Why, then, should we watch? First, every game counts in such an evenly matched division. And second, Oakland fans. While they don’t show up in their own stadium, they generally show in ours. This fan once saw an overzealous Oakland fan removed from our facility after he broke open a Seattle fan’s nose with a head-butt. In the box seats. It takes something special to turn prissy Safeco Field—known for its one-time “Yankees Suck” T-shirt ban—from American grandstand to American Gladiators. So bring your team spirit and your brass knuckles; at least for this weekend, the Terrordome has a retractable roof. DAMON AGNOS

Thu., April 30, 7:10 p.m.; Fri., May 1, 6:10 p.m.; Sat., May 2, 1:10 p.m., 2009