Texas starter Yu Darvish hasn't dominated the Mariners the way he has other clubs. He's just 1-2, 9.00 against Seattle this season. / Wiki Commons

GAME: Mariners (69-75, 4th, AL West, – 16.5 GB) at Rangers (85-58, 1st, AL West, + 3.0 GA). GAME #: 145. SERIES: 1st of 3 games. MEETING: 14th (Rangers lead 7-6). WHEN: Friday, 5:05 p.m., Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (Seattle, 6-4, 3.39) vs. RHP Yu Darvish (Texas, 14-9, 4.14). STREAKS: Mariners L 1; Rangers W 2. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: ESPN 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network

An interesting pitching match-up Friday in Texas: Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma vs. Texas’ Yu Darvish. Both are in their first major league seasons, and they have not yet met as major league pitchers. But they have a history against each other: Six times in Pacific League games in Japan, and the two were teammates on Japan’s 2008 Olympic team and the 2009 World Baseball Classic championship squad.

Darvish holds a 3-2 edge in head-to-head games in their homeland.

“We are friends, and sometimes we get dinner together and sometimes we talk on the phone,” Iwakuma said through interpreter Daisuke Sekiba. “I’m looking forward to pitching against him. Of course, it’s fun waiting to face each other at the Major League level. In Japan, we played against each other a couple games. So we expect that, it’s just now we’re here.”

Since moving into the rotation in midseason, Iwakuma has gone 5-3 with a 2.80 ERA in 12 outings, including a 4-0 loss to the Rangers in his second start in July. That game was in Seattle and now he faces a potent Texas lineup in hitter-friendly Arlington.

The Mariners have had considerable success against Darvish this season, as they numbers bear out. A closer look:

MARINERS: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (6-4, 3.39 ERA, 1.28 WHIP)

Hisashi Iwakuma

The 31-year-old Iwakuma, in his first major league season, makes his 13th start and second against the Rangers (he made a relief appearance May 30). Iwakuma, who started the season as a reliever and then stretched out to become a starter during a minor league assignment, lost to the Rangers 4-0 July 15. He has won four of his past five decisions, but is coming off a 6-1 defeat administered by Oakland at Safeco Field Sept. 8.

A native of Tokyo, the 6-3, 190-pound Iwakuma signed with the Mariners as a free agent Jan. 5, following an 11-year career in his native country. Iwakuma pitched for Osaka Kintetsu from 2001-04, and for Rakuten from 2005-11. His record was 107-69, 3.25 ERA.

In 2004, Iwakuma started out 12-0 en route to a 15-2 record and 3.45 ERA. He had his only 20-win season in 2008 when he went 21-4, 1.87 ERA in 28 starts. Iwakuma won Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young award.

In 2008, Iwakuma was named the Pacific League Most Valuable Player and also named an NPB All-Star.

Iwakuma played in the 2004 Olympics and in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where he won a gold medal.

Iwakuma has pitched at least 5.0 innings in all nine of his starts and has worked at least 7.0 in two of his past three. He also has two saves, May 30 at Texas and June 2 at Chicago.

Iwakuma continues to allow plenty of baserunners, but is proving to be a master at getting out of jams. The Mariners have won five of the right-hander’s past eight starts.

• LAST START: Sept. 8 at Safeco Field, lost to Oakland 6-1; four earned runs on six hits in 3.2 innings; three strikeouts to two walks, one home run; 77 pitches, 50 for strikes.
• LAST VS. RANGERS: July 15 at Safeco Field, lost 4-0; four earned runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings; no strikeouts and three walks, one home run.
• CAREER VS. RANGERS: 0-1, 7.88 ERA in two games, including one start, covering 8.0 innings; no strikeouts, four walks, one home run.
• AT RANGERS BALLPARK: 0-0, 9.00 ERA in one appearance covering 3.0 innings; three earned runs, no strikeouts, one walk.
• LOVES TO FACE: David Murphy (0-for-4, .000 BA), Nelson Cruz (0-for-2, .000 BA), Michael Young (1-for-5, .200 BA).
• HATES TO FACE: Adrian Beltre (3-for-5, .600 BA), Craig Gentry (2-for-3, .667 BA), Ian Kinsler (2-for-3, .667 BA).
• CURRENT RANGERS VS. IWAKUMA: 10-for-29, .345 BA, one home run, no strikeouts.

Iwakuma / 2012

• June 27 (L, 1-1): First loss in first career start; one earned run on one hit in a 2-1 setback to Oakland; no strikeouts or walks.
• July 2 (ND, 1-1): Three earned runs on three hits in 5.0 innings in a 6-3 win over Baltimore; struck out four, walked three.
• July 15 (L, 1-2): Four earned runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings; no strikeouts, three walks, one home run.
• July 20 (ND, 1-2): At Tampa Bay, lost 4-3; two earned runs on six hits over 6.0 innings. fanned a career-high seven and walked three; one home run.
• July 25 (ND, 1-2): At Safeco Field, no-decision in Seattle’s 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees; one earned run on six hits over 5.0 innings; struck out three, walked one, one home run.
• July 30 (W, 2-2): Vs. Toronto at Safeco Field, won 4-1; one earned run on four hits in 8.0 innings; walked three and struck out 13, establishing a record for a Mariners rookie.
• Aug. 5 (L, 2-3): At New York, lost 6-2; three earned runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings; four strikeouts, two walks, one home run; 101 pitches, 64 for strikes.
• Aug. 11 (W, 3-3): At Anaheim, won 7-4; three earned runs on six hits over 7.0 innings; four strikeouts to one walk; one home run; 86 pitches, 58 for strikes.
• Aug. 17 (W, 4-3): At Safeco Field, defeated Minnesota 5-3; no earned runs in 7.0 innings; four hits, six strikeouts, one walk, 97 pitches, 65 for strikes.
• Aug. 22 (ND, 4-3): At Safeco Field, took a no-decision in Seattle’s 3-1 win over the Cleveland Indians; one earned run on six hits in 5.2 innings; five strikeouts to three walks; no home runs.
• Aug. 28 (W, 5-3): At Minnesota, won 5-2; one unearned run and one hit in 6.0 innings; four strikeouts and four walks; 92 pitches, 49 for strikes.
• Sept. 2 (W, 6-3): At Safeco Field, defeated the Los Angeles Angels 2-1; five hits over 7.0 innings; seven strikeouts, no walks; 101 pitches, 76 for strikes.
• Sept. 8 (L, 6-4): At Safeco Field, lost to Oakland 6-1; four earned runs on six hits in 3.2 innings; three strikeouts to two walks, one home run; 77 pitches, 50 for strikes.

RANGERS: RHP Yu Darvish (14-9, 4.14 ERA, 1.33 WHIP)

Yu Darvish

The 25-year-old Darvish, an All-Star in his first major league season, will make his 27th start and fourth against the Mariners. Darvish faced Seattle April 9 at the Ballpark in Arlington, TX., and, despite a shaky start, came away with an 11-5 win. He lost to Felix Hernandez 6-1 May 21 and lost again to Hernandez July 14 at Safeco Field. Darvish is coming off a no-decision against Tampa Bay Sept. 8.

A native of Habikino, Osaka, Japan, the 6-5, 215-pound Darvish signed with the Rangers Dec. 19, 2011, after a record posting fee of $51.7 million and a $60 million contract over six years.

Darvish, 25, pitched for Japan’s Hokkaido Nippon Ham from 2007 through 2011, compiling a record of 72-28 with a 1.72 ERA. Darvish is a two-time Pacific League Most Valuable Player (2007, 2009), a three-time strikeout champion (2007, 2010-11), a two-time ERA champion (2009-10) and a two-time Gold Glove winner (2007-08).

Darvish, who played in five NPB All-Star Games, pitched for Japan in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Darvish attracted the attention of major league clubs in 2004, when the Anaheim Angels and Atlanta Braves scouted him extensively. The Mets and Dodgers also showed interest.

Darvish became Japan’s highest-paid player before the start of the 2011 season when he agreed to a contract worth slightly more than $6 million U.S.

In 2011, Darvish opened by allowing seven runs in seven innings, but after that did not allow more than three runs in any start. He had a streak of 13 wins in 14 decisions. He finished with 18 wins in a season that featured a career-low 1.44 ERA. He led the league with 28 starts, 232 innings, 276 strikeouts and a 0.82 WHIP.

Darvish showed remarkable location, walking 36 batters.

Darvish’s parents met at Eckerd College, a liberal arts school in St. Petersburg, FL., where his father played for the college soccer team.

• 2012: Darvish pitched into the seventh inning in 17 of his 16 starts. He had his best outing April 24, defeating the Yankees 2-0; allowed seven hits over 8.1 innings and fanned 10 while walking two. Darvish has struck out 10 or more in a game eight times this season.
• LAST START: Sept. 8 at Tampa Bay, took a no-decision in a 4-2 Texas win over the Rays; one earned run on two hits in 8.0 innings, eight strikeouts, two walks, no home runs.
• LAST VS. MARINERS: July 14 at Safeco Field, lost 7-0; seven earned runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings; one home run.
• CAREER VS. MARINERS: 1-2, 9.00 ERA in three starts covering 16.0 innings; 14 strikeouts to 14 walks; one home run.
• AT RANGERS BALLPARK: 9-2, 4.10 ERA in 12 starts covering 79.0 innings; 95 strikeouts to 36 walks, eight home runs.
• LOVES TO FACE: Michael Saunders (1-for-8, .125 BA), Justin Smoak (1-for-8, .167 BA), Eric Thames (1-for-6, .167 BA).
• HATES TO FACE: John Jaso (2-for-4, .500 BA), Kyle Seager (3-for-7, .429 BA), Casper Wells (1-for-3, .333 BA).
• CURRENT MARINERS VS. DARVISH: 15-for-63, .239 BA, one home run, 14 strikeouts.

AL WEST STANDINGS

MARINERS / STATS NOTES

• CURRENT ROAD TRIP: Three at Toronto, three at Texas Friday-Sunday.
  
• MARINERS VS. RANGERS: Mariners 264-272 all-time vs. the Rangers, including 69-89 at Rangers Ballpark. Mariners lost two of three at Texas April 9-11 and won two of three there May 28-30. Mariners last swept a three-game series at Texas Sept. 24-26, 2001. Rangers last swept Seattle in a three-game series in Texas Sept. 23-25, 2011.
  
• LOG: Felix Hernandez has lost three consecutive starts for the first time since Sept. 12-24, 2011 . . . Hernandez is 2-3 since throwing the major leagues’ 23rd perfect game Aug. 15 against Tampa Bay . . . Hernandez allowed a season-high seven runs Thursday over 4.0 innings. He allowed 10 hits. The seven runs allowed tied a career high. Hernandez is 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in September with 16 hits an 30 runs allowed. He has allowed three home runs in his past two starts . . . The Mariners’ final 18 games are all against teams with winning records . . . The Mariners Thursday extended their working agreements with AA Jackson, A High Desert, A Clinton and A Pulaski and now have all of their affiliates signed through 2014.
• SEASON SUMMARY: Series Record: Won 21, Split 2, Lost 24 . . . Sweeps: 6; Swept: 6 . . . Longest Win Streak: 8 (Aug. 15-21); Longest Losing Streak: 7 (April 28-May 4) . . . vs. AL East: 18-25; vs. AL Central: 24-16; vs. AL West: 18-24; vs. LAA: 5-8; vs. Oak: 7-9; vs. Tex: 6-7; vs. NL West: 8-10; vs. Interleague: 8-10 . . . Biggest Lead: 1.0, April 7; Farthest Behind: 17.5, July 15 . . . Most Runs Scored: 21, May 30 at Texas (21-8); Most Runs Allowed: 11, April 9 at Texas . . . Walk-Off Wins: 6, May 7, first since Sept. 14, 2011 vs. New York, and first via a sacrifice fly (John Jaso) since Sept. 14, 2007 vs. Tampa Bay (Jose Guillen); June 17 vs. San Francisco (Justin Smoak ninth-inning single); June 28 vs. Boston (Jaso ph ninth-inning single); June 30 vs. Boston (Chone Figgins sacrifice fly 11th inning); Aug. 14, vs. Tampa, Eric Thames ninth-inning single scored Figgins; Aug. 18 vs. Minnesota, John Jaso sacrifice fly in ninth inning . . . Walk-Off Losses: 9, April 30 at Tampa Bay, Elliott Johnson, RBI single in 12th off Brandon League; May 17, at Cleveland, Carlos Santana bases-loaded single off League in 11th; July 6, at Oakland, Chris Carter 3-run walk-off homer off Steve Delabar; July 7, at Oakland, Josh Reddick run-scoring double off Oliver Perez in 13th; July 18, at Kansas City, Billy Butler, home run off Josh Kinney in bottom 9th; July 20, at Tampa Bay, Ben Zobrist double off Tom Wilhelmsen in bottom 14th; Aug. 7, Adam Jones 14th-inning single off Shawn Kelley in bottom 14th; Aug. 10, Josh Kinney wild pitched in the winning run (Bourjos) with the bases loaded in the ninth inning at Anaheim; Aug. 24, Paul Konerko double in ninth off Wilhelmsen . . . Times Opponent Shut out: 9; Times Shut out by Opponent: 12; Comeback Wins: 21; Largest Comeback: 3; Blown Leads: 33; Largest Comeback: 3.
• BATTING: Mariners rank 14th (AL) in runs (545), 14th in hits (1129), 13th in doubles (205), eighth in triples (24) and 11th in home runs (125) . . . Rank 14th in batting averer age (.233) . . . 14th in on-base percentage (.294), 14th in slugging (.363) and 14th in OPS (.657) . . . Batting 256-for-1057 (.242) with runners in scoring position after going 1-for-8 Thursday . . . Batting Average: John Jaso, .276; Hits: Kyle Seager, 132; Runs: Dustin Ackley, 79; Home Runs: Kyle Seager, 18; RBIs: Kyle Seager, 81 . . Batted around seven times: April 7 at Oakland (4th inning), April 9 at Texas (1st), April 17 vs. Cleveland (4th), May 29 at Texas (8th), May 30 at Texas (2nd and 3rd), Aug. 24 at Chicago (9th).
• BATTING EXTRA: Longest Hitting Streak: Dustin Ackley, 13 games, May 3-17 . . . Four-Hit Games: Ichiro, March 28 vs. Oakland; Justin Smoak, April 17 vs. Cleveland; Jesus Montero, May 1 at Tampa; Kyle Seager, May 30 at Texas; Michael Saunders, June 2, at Chicago; Ichiro, June 19 at Arizona; Franklin Gutierrez, June 22 at San Diego . . . Grand Slams (2): Michael Saunders, April 27 at Toronto; Alex Liddi, May 23 vs. Texas . . . Back-To-Back Home Runs (3): Jesus Montero, Justin Smoak, 3rd inning, May 20, at Colorado; Miguel Olivo, Dustin Ackley, 8th inning, July 2, vs. Baltimore; Franklin Gutierrez, Kyle Seager, 3rd inning, Sept. 4, vs. Boston.
• PITCHING: Mariners third in ERA (3.75), third in hits allowed (1186), third in runs allowed (569), fourth in home runs allowed (148), fifth in walks (398) and seventh in strikeouts (1039) . . . Games: Tom Wilhelmsen, 65; Starts: Jason Vargas, Felix Hernandez, 30; Wins: Vargas, 14; ERA: Hernandez 2.92; Complete Games: Hernandez 5 . . . Shutouts: Hernandez 5; Saves: Wilhelmsen, 26.
• DEBUTS: Munenori Kawasaki (April 7), Lucas Luetge (April 7), Erasmo Ramirez (April 9), Hisashi Iwakuma (April 20), Stephen Pryor (June 2), Carter Capps (Aug. 3), Luis Jimenez (Sept. 5).
• DISABLED LIST: George Sherrill (60-day, April 13, strained flexor bundle).
• EX-MARINERS VS. CURRENT MARINERS: April 19, Jack Hannahan, Indians, 2-run single in ninth off Brandon League in Tribe’s 2-1 win; April 28, Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays, one earned run over 7.0 innings in 7-0 win; May 11, Raul Ibanez, Yankees, 3-run homer off Felix Hernandez in 6-2 win; May 12, Raul Ibanez, Yankees, solo homer off Hector Noesi in 6-2 win; May 15, David Ortiz, Red Sox, solo homer off Blake Beaven in 5-0 Red Sox win; May 16, Shin-Soo Choo (3), Asdrubal Cabrera (2) and Jose Lopez (1) combined for 6 hits in 9-3 Cleveland win; May 17, Casey Kotchman (2), Cabrera (2), Jose Lopez (1), Choo (1) had six of Cleveland’s 10 hits, plus 5 RBIs, in a 6-5 win; July 4, Chris Tillman recorded first win of the year in a 4-2 Baltimore win by allowing two runs over 8.1 innings; July 13, Adrian Beltre two-run HR off Kevin Millwood in a 3-2 Texas win at Safeco Field; July 15, Beltre had three hits and two RBIs in a 4-0 Texas win over Seattle at Safeco Field; July 23, Four ex-Mariners played roles in beating the Mariners 4-1: Ichiro, traded 3 1/2 hours before the opening pitch, singled and stole his 16th base; Alex Rodriguez belted his 40th career home run at Safeco Field; Raul Ibanezhad an RBI single; Rafael Soriano notched the save; July 26, Soriano notched his 26th save in New York’s 5-2 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field; Aug. 5, Raul Ibanez clubbed a three-run homer, Freddy Garcia won his 150th career game and Ichiro extended his hitting streak to 12 games as the Yankees defeated the Mariners 6-2; Aug. 6, Chris Tillman took a three-hit shutout into the eighth and defeated the Mariners 3-1 at Camden Yards; Aug. 7, Adam Jones walk-off single against Shawn Kelley in the bottom of the 14th gave Baltimore an 8-7 win over Seattle.

2012 RECORDS / MILESTONES

• April 24: Catcher Miguel Olivo matched the franchise record when he was charged with three passed balls in a 7-4 win at Detroit. Jerry Narron let three balls get by him Oct. 4, 1980, and Jeff Clement did likewise Aug. 10, 2008 (Clement was catching knuckleballer R.A. Dickey).
• April 27: Michael Saunders joined Donnie Scott (April 29, 1985) and Jimmy Presley (April 8, 1986) as the only Mariners to hit two home runs in a game in the ninth inning or later (solo homer in the 9th, grand slam in the 10th).
• April 30: When both Miguel Olivo and Jesus Montero homered, it marked the first time in franchise history that two players had homered in the same game as a catcher.
• May 2: Ichiro set a club record for most putouts by a right fielder in a nine-inning game, registering 10 in a 5-4 loss at Tampa.
• May 3: The Mariners featured a lineup at Tampa Bay that included seven left- handed hitters and two switch-hitters. It marked only the third time in club history that the Mariners used an all left-sided lineup. Others: Aug. 13, 1983 at California and Aug. 9, 1983 at Oakland.
• May 5: Combined one-hitter by Felix Hernandez and Steve Delabar vs. Minnesota was the 13th in Mariners history. Ten have been thrown by one pitcher, three combined. Most recent combined: Michael Pineda, Jeff Gray and Brandon League vs. Tampa, July 30, 2011. Most recent by one pitcher: Jarrod Washburn, July 6, 2009.
• May 9: When John Jaso batted leadoff against Detroit, it marked the first time since 1978 that a catcher had hit first for the Marines (Bob Stinson). Oddly, lefty Jaso led off against Tiger lefty Drew Smyly.
• May 8: Kevin Millwood’s 2-0 shutout marked his first in nearly nine years. He did not surrender his first hit until there were two outs in the sixth. Millwood’s gem marked only the fourth time in 1,440 games at Coors Field that an opposing pitcher held the Rockies to two hits or less while shutting them out. Millwood’s complete game also was the first by a Mariner in 2012.
• May 27: The pinch-hit grand slam allowed by Felix Hernandez to Alberto Callaspo marked just the sixth against the Mariners in 35 years, and the first since May 6, 1988 when Pat Sheridan of Detroit hit one off Mike Jackson.
• May 30: Mariners defeated Texas 21-8, just the third time in franchise history they have scored 20 or more runs in a game. The Mariners, with 20 hits, became the first team since 1880 to score 20 runs in a game in the same season it also go perfect-oed.
• June 8: Kevin Millwood and five relievers collaborated for the 10th combined no-hitter in major league history in a 1-0 win over the Dodgers at Safeco Field. Millwood (6.0), Charlie Furbush (0.2), Stephen Pryor (0.1), Lucas Luetge (0.1), Brandon League (0.2), and Tom Wilhelmsen (1.0) tied the MLB record for most pitchers used in a no-hitter (Houston vs. the Yankees June 11, 2003). It marked the third no-hitter in Mariners history.
• June 18: Aaron Hill of Arizona hit for the cycle in the Diamondbacks’ 7-1 win over the Mariners. Hill singled in the first (Hector Noesi), tripled in the third (Noesi), doubled in the fifth (Noesi) and homered in the seventh (Shawn Kelley).
• June 19: Ichiro reached 2,500 hits (first-inning single) in the fourth-fewest games in major league history during a 12-9 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. His 2,500th hit came in his 1,817th game. Al Simmons had 2,500 hits in 1,784 games, Ty Cobb in 1,790 and George Sisler in 1,808 . . . When Kyle Seager and Brendan Ryan both hit three-run homers in the fifth inning, it marked the first time since July 30, 2003 vs. Detroit that the Mariners had a pair of three-run bombs in the same inning. In that July 30, 2003 game, John Olerud hit a three-run homer and Randy Winn a grand slam in the first inning.
• July 1: One-time Mariner farmhand David Ortiz of the Red Sox hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning, giving Boston a 2-1 win over the Mariners.
• July 3: In Seattle’s 6-3 win over Baltimore at Safeco Field, The Mariners had three Japanese players in the starting lineup – Ichiro Suzuki, Munenori Kawasaki and Hisashi Iwakuma – for the first time in major league history.
• July 23: Mariners traded Ichiro, face of the franchise for 11 1/2 years, to the Yankees for two prospects and cash considerations. Ichiro made his debut against Seattle with the Yankees at Safeco field and went 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Aug. 15: Felix Hernandez threw the 23rd perfect game in major league history, defeating Tampa Bay 1-0 at Safeco Field. Hernandez recorded 12 strikeouts in throwing the third no-hitter in franchise history . . . Mariners became the first team in MLB history to throw a perfect game and have one thrown against them. It was also the first time two have been thrown in the same stadium in one season . . . Of the 22 previous perfect games, six were by 1-0 scores, the last by Roy Halladay May 29, 2010 at Florida. It was also the fourth 1-0 win for the Mariners this season . . .Hernandez became the second Latin American pitcher to do the deed (Nicaragua’s Dennis Martinez for Montreal July 28, 1991, against the Dodgers).

MARINERS WON-LOSS BREAKDOWN

MARINERS BATTING PROFILE

MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE

PROBABLE PITCHERS

MARINERS 2012 SCHEDULE/RESULTS

March (1-1)

April (10-12)

May (12-17)

June (11-16)

July (15-11)

August (15-12)

September (5-6)

October