Detroit @ Seattle preview
T-Mobile Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 18, 2010 ) Detroit 4, Seattle 2
Justin Verlander will try for a bit of team history in the opener of a two-game series Tuesday night as the Detroit Tigers reach the tail end of a seven-game road trip against light-hitting Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.
The hurler has allowed four hits or less in four consecutive starts, something no Tigers pitcher has done since Mickey Lolich accomplished the feat in five straight starts in 1964.
Verlander (5-2, 3.43) will go for his fifth consecutive victory on Tuesday, coming off a four-hitter against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. He has allowed one run or fewer in four of his last five starts.
While pitching well overall, Verlander has struggled against the Mariners - losing his last three starts against them, including a 4-2 loss on April 17. He is 6-4 with a 3.41 ERA overall against Seattle.
Ichiro Suzuki is 14-for-33 (.424) lifetime against Verlander. The Seattle right fielder also has the best May batting average of any player in history at .365. On the other hand, Mariners designated hitter Mike Sweeney, who has been batting well recently, is 0-for-11 against Verlander.
Verlander will oppose Doug Fister (3-2), who has the lowest ERA in the American League at 1.96, but is getting little run support. In eight starts, Fister has given up more than two runs just twice. He has never faced the Tigers.
The first time these teams met this season on April 16, Seattle was in rare hitting form, scoring 11 runs on 12 hits. Franklin Gutierrez had three hits and drove in three runs and Jose Lopez had two RBIs.
The Mariners are last in the AL in runs (153) and average (.236).
Seattle appeared to have gotten untracked offensively with a 15-8 whipping of the San Diego Padres on Friday, but scored two runs in the final two games. In the six contests before Friday’s outburst, the Mariners scored 17 runs total.
Detroit will be without first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who will miss these two games to be with his wife in Miami as she is scheduled to give birth to their second daughter. Cabrera, who has 10 homers and 40 RBIs, recorded five RBIs in the opening series against the Mariners.
Rookie center fielder Austin Jackson hopes to play in this series after a scary incident Saturday in Los Angeles. He was hit in the helmet by a fastball from Dodgers hurler Ramon Troncoso that connected with the left side of his head and left his eye badly swollen Sunday.
Jackson was taken to a hospital in Pasadena for testing and observation, but all tests came back negative. His playing status will depend on how much the swelling subsides.