Seattle @ Los Angeles preview
Angel Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 16, 2010 ) Seattle 2, LA Angels 3
Left-hander Joe Saunders has been solid for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim when it comes to earning victories against the Seattle Mariners.
Los Angeles has won Saunders' last 10 starts against Seattle dating back to 2008. The Angels will look for lucky 11 on Saturday night when Saunders (6-9, 4.76 ERA) takes the hill.
Los Angeles’ Jered Weaver won a duel with Felix Hernandez on Friday night as the Angels posted a 3-2 triumph. The victory was Los Angeles' eighth straight over Seattle.
It was the third time this season that Weaver (9-5) faced Hernandez - with the Angels' hurler winning two. Weaver had five strikeouts to raise his major-league lead to 142.
The Mariners have lost 11 of their last 13 and fell to a season-worst 20 games under .500. Seattle is also a season-worst 17 games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.
Saunders, who is 1-0 with a 5.06 ERA against Seattle this season, is an impressive 8-1 with a 3.58 ERA in 13 career starts against the Mariners.
Seattle left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-9, 5.89 ERA) will try to avoid becoming only the second American League pitcher to lose 10 games this season.
Rowland-Smith is 0-2 with a 2.82 ERA in four career starts against Los Angeles. In nine road starts this season, he is 0-5 with a 7.38 ERA.
Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick is 3-for-6 against Rowland-Smith and has four doubles in the first two games of this series.
Los Angeles infielder Maicer Izturis, who has been on the disabled list with a strained left forearm since June 16, took batting practice Friday and is scheduled to make his first rehab appearance Saturday with Triple-A Salt Lake.
Mariners designated hitter/first baseman Russell Branyan will likely miss the rest of the series after he bumped into a wrought iron table in his hotel room and it fell on his left foot.
Branyan had gone back to bed before realizing something was wrong and awoke to blood on his sheets. He eventually called a Mariners trainer to get the foot bandaged.
Designated hitter is one spot the Mariners seem to have an abundance of players. Milton Bradley is expected to be the designated hitter on Saturday, spelling Casey Kotchman.
Seattle also said right-hander David Pauley will start Monday’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
Forced into a start last Friday when the Mariners traded Cliff Lee to Texas, Pauley held the New York Yankees to one earned run on two hits in five innings. He lost, but performed well enough to warrant another start, according to manager Don Wakamatsu.