Seattle @ Minnesota preview
Target Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 30, 2010 ) Seattle 3, Minnesota 5
So far, so good for the Minnesota Twins’ new look to the bullpen.
The Twins used four relievers to support starter Scott Baker in Friday night’s 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game series.
When Baker left with a 5-3 lead after 5 1/3 innings, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire received exactly what he had hoped for from his bullpen. Jesse Crain and Jose Mijares each recorded two outs before Matt Guerrier induced four consecutive ground outs, throwing 15 strikes in 17 pitches.
That set the stage for new closer Matt Capps, who was acquired in a trade Thursday with the Washington Nationals.
Capps received a huge ovation as he entered to Europe’s "The Final Countdown". Capps allowed a single to Chone Figgins but was otherwise perfect in earning his first save for the Twins. The All-Star converted 26 of 30 opportunities with the Nationals this season.
Minnesota earned its season-high sixth consecutive victory and sent the Mariners to their fifth straight loss. The Twins have not won seven in a row since a 10-game winning streak June 17-28, 2008.
The Twins are still 1.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central lead in what has become one of the better races in baseball.
Minnesota will send Kevin Slowey (9-5, 4.76 ERA) against Seattle ace Felix Hernandez (7-7, 2.86 ERA) in Saturday night’s game.
Slowey bounced back from a rough stretch where he was in jeopardy of losing his spot in the starting rotation. He allowed one run and five hits in six innings of a 10-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
In his only appearance against the Mariners this season, Slowey allowed one run on five hits in seven innings in the Twins’ 2-1 victory on June 2.
The Mariners are 6-21 this month, and the club record for losses in a month is 22 in August 1977.
Seattle will try to end its miserable July behind Hernandez, who allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings in a 6-1 loss to Chicago on Monday. In his previous eight starts, he had allowed 11 runs.
Hernandez has had to be nearly unhittable as the Mariners have given him just seven runs in his seven losses.
Hernandez is 4-3 with a 2.56 ERA in 10 career starts against the Twins. In his only start against them this season, he allowed one run on five hits in eight innings with nine strikeouts.
The Twins placed Nick Punto (left hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list Friday and recalled shortstop Trevor Plouffe from Triple-A Rochester.
Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau, who has been sidelined since July 7 after suffering a concussion, took swings at Target Field on Friday. He would not speculate on when he might be able to return.
The Mariners rested rookie first baseman Justin Smoak, who is in a 2-for-36 slump. They also were without Jose Lopez and Milton Bradley, but manager Don Wakamatsu said Lopez and Bradley could play on Saturday.