Seattle @ Los Angeles preview
Angel Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 15, 2010 ) Seattle 3, LA Angels 8
Not much about the Seattle Mariners’ pitching situation seems stable these days. The exception is Friday night’s starter, Felix Hernandez.
The Mariners traded left-hander Cliff Lee to Texas just before the All-Star break, leaving it to Hernandez to carry a struggling staff.
In Thursday night’s 8-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle starter Doug Fister, once the American League ERA leader, lost his fourth consecutive decision and allowed six runs on 12 hits, both season highs. The Angels collected 16 hits as every starter except Torii Hunter got a hit.
Hernandez (7-5, 2.88) will look to quiet the Angels’ offense.
The right-hander from Venezuela is 4-0 with a 1.39 ERA in his last six starts. He enters tonight’s game after throwing his fourth complete game of the season, a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees in which he had nine strikeouts but also gave up 10 hits.
Hernandez gives the Mariners their best chance of winning every time he starts, but he will be opposing All-Star Jered Weaver (8-5, 3.20).
Weaver was not allowed to pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in front of his home fans because of a new rule forbidding pitchers who started Sunday from playing in the game.
He has lost his last two starts, including a 5-2 loss to Oakland on Sunday when he allowed five runs in six innings.
Weaver does lead the major leagues in strikeouts with 137 and is 5-0 with a 2.30 in seven career home starts against the Mariners.
Despite Hernandez’s recent success, he did have his worst start of the season against the Angels, allowing eight runs in 3 1/3 innings of an 8-0 loss on May 7.
Hernandez is 4-6 with a 4.40 ERA in 18 career starts against the Angels.
Angels shortstop Erick Aybar had three hits and drove in three runs Thursday. He is 12-for-22 (.545) in his last five games against the Mariners.
Seattle All-Star right fielder Ichiro Suzuki drove in all three runs Thursday with a double in the fifth inning and has a 14-game hitting streak. He is 18-for-38 (.474) against the Angels this season.
The Mariners shuffled their pitching staff Thursday, sending ineffective veteran reliever Chad Cordero and Sean White to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday. The 28-year-old Cordero (0-1, 6.52 ERA) declined the assignment and opted to become a free agent instead.
The Mariners called up left-hander Chris Seddon and signed 35-year-old Jamey Wright for long relief. Closer David Aardsma is 0-6 with a 5.40 ERA and has not had a save since June 22.
Seattle also got more bad news Thursday on left-hander Erik Bedard, who felt discomfort in his left shoulder and saw Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels orthopedist who performed surgery on Bedard’s shoulder last August. Bedard has yet to throw in a game this season and it’s anyone guess when he might recover from the latest setback.