Detroit @ Seattle preview
T-Mobile Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 16, 2010 ) Detroit 3, Seattle 11
The Detroit Tigers began an 11-day West Coast trip with a huge flop in Friday’s series opener.
The Tigers dropped an 11-3 decision to the Seattle Mariners as Jeremy Bonderman - who played high school baseball in Pasco, about 225 miles from Seattle – had a sour homecoming after allowing 10 runs in just four innings.
For Saturday's game, Detroit looks to Justin Verlander, who is making his third start of 2010 but is still without a decision.
Verlander has a 9.00 ERA and started 2009 in similar fashion, going 1-1 with a 7.88 ERA. He was hit hard last Sunday by the Cleveland Indians, allowing five runs in the first inning, highlighted by a grand slam by Luis Valbuena.
Verlander has said that giving up big innings has been a problem, something he hopes to solve against the Mariners, who seem to be hitting their stride at the plate.
Seattle has put together back-to-back double-digit hitting games, smacking 11 singles among 12 hits in Friday’s rout.
Verlander is 6-3 with a 3.36 ERA in his career against the Mariners.
Ichiro Suzuki is 11-for-30 (.367) in his career against Verlander and Milton Bradley is 3-for-6 against the right-hander.
Ryan Rowland-Smith surrendered just three hits in seven innings, but walked five in a 4-0 loss to Oakland on Tuesday. The Australian had has good outings, but has just two strikeouts thus far this season. He is making his third career start against the Tigers, but has not recorded a decision.
While most Tigers have yet to face Rowland-Smith, Ryan Raburn is 3-for-5 with a pair of homers against him. Raburn could play right field with Magglio Ordonez as the designated hitter.
In addition to a convincing victory on Friday, the Mariners also received good news on left-hander Cliff Lee, who did not experience pain after a 51-pitch simulated game.
Lee, who has a strained right oblique, will have another simulated game Tuesday and rehab April 25. He could be in the starting rotation by May 1, pending his appeal of a five-game suspension stemming from an incident in spring training.
One other Mariner injury of note is infielder Jack Hannahan, who is on the disabled list with a strained right groin he injured on March 4. The third baseman had a minor-league rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Tacoma and belted a two-run home run.