#25: Olivo To DL; Noesi Faces 1st-Place Rays

GAME: Mariners (11-13, T 2 AL West, – 6.5 GB) at Rays (15-8, T 1 AL East, 0-0 GB). GAME #: 25. SERIES: 2nd of 4 games. MEETING (2012): 2nd (Rays lead 1-0). WHEN: Tuesday, 4:10 p.m. Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Hector Hoesi (Seattle, 1-2, 8.83) vs. LHP Matt Moore (Tampa Bay, 0-1, 4.68). STREAKS: Mariners L 3; Rays W 2. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: KIRO 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.

Hector Hoesi, who has been unable to produce consecutive effective starts, is on the clock Tuesday when the Mariners play Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. With Monday’s 3-2 setback, which included the likely loss of catcher Miguel Olivo to the disabled list, the Mariners have lost three in a row as an encore to a season-high four-game winning streak.

Following the Tampa Bay series, the Mariners return to Safeco Field Friday fort a six-game home stand against Minnesota and Detroit. But first, a closer look at Tuesday’s probables:

MARINERS: RHP Hector Noesi (1-2, 8.83 ERA, 1.67 WHIP)

In his second major league season, first with the Mariners, Noesi, 25, is making his fifth start and first against the Rays.

A native of Esperanza, Valverde, Dominican Republic, the 6-3, 200-pound Noesi was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in 2004.

Noesi made his major league debut May 18 against the Baltimore Orioles. The fifth Yankees reliever that day, he collected the win by working four innings, allowing four hits, no runs and fanning four.

Noesi became a Mariner Jan. 23 when he was traded by the Yankees, along with Jesus Montero, to Seattle for Jose Campos (minors) and Michael Pineda, an All-Star starter.

Noesi, who appeared in 30 games for the Yankees, making two starts, has a career record of 3-4, 5.50 ERA and 1.54 WHIP.

• LAST START: April 26 at Detroit, did not factor in the decision in a 5-4 Mariners victory over the Tigers in a game in which Justin Smoak hit a home run and drove in three runs; allowed four runs on five hits over 5.0 innings and allowed one home run; threw 77 pitches, 49 for strikes.
• LAST VS. RAYS: Sept. 26, took the loss in the Yankees’ 5-2 loss at Tropicana Field; allowed three runs on two hits in 2.0 innings struck out one, walked two.
• CAREER VS. RAYS: Has an 0-1 record and a 4.22 record in two starts covering 10.2 innings; strikes out 8.4 batters per 9 innings; all five earned runs against him are earned; allowed one home run.
• AT TROPICANA FIELD: 0-1 record, 7.36 ERA in two games, covering 3.2 innings; struck out three and walked three; no home runs.
• LOVES TO FACE: Sean Rodriguez (0-for-2, .000 BA), Ben Zobrist (0-1, .000 BA).
• HATES TO FACE: Brandon Allen (2-for-2, 1.000 BA, 1 HR), Matt Joyce (2-for-3, .667 BA), Reid Brignac (2-for-4, .500 BA).
• CURRENT RAYS VS. NOESI: 14-for-36, .389 BA, 2 HRs.

Noesi / 2012

• April 9 (L, 0-1): Shelled for seven earned runs in 3.0 innings in an 11-5 loss to the Rangers.
• April 14 (W, 1-1): Collected his first win as a Mariner by working 8.0 IP, allowing five hits and no runs in a 4-0 win over Oakland; fanned six, issued one walk and recorded 17 fly-ball outs vs. five ground-ball outs; 100 pitches, 68 for strikes.
• April 20 (L, 1-2): Didn’t make it past the second inning in a 7-3 loss to the White Sox at Safeco Field; allowed six earned runs on six hits, including one home run.
• April 26 (ND, 1-2): Gave up four runs on five hits over 5.0 innings and allowed one home run; threw 77 pitches, 49 for strikes.

RAYS: LHP Matt Moore (0-1, 4.68, 1.56 WHIP)

The 22-year-old Moore, in his second major league season, both with Tampa, will be making his fifth start and first against the Mariners.

A native of Fort Walton Beach, FL., 6-2, 205-pound Moore was selected by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2007 amateur draft.

He pitched in 99 minor league games in the Tampa system from 2007-10, and made his major league debut Sept. 14 in a 6-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards; pitched 1.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits; did not factor in the decision.

Moore went 1-0, 2.89 for the season, working 9.1 innings. The winbwas Sept. 22 when he defeated the New York Yankees 15-8, outdueling Bartolo Colon; did not allow an earned run in 5.0 innings and had a career-high 11 strikeouts.

That marked Moore’s first major league start. He also pitched 3.0 innings of relief against the Boston Red Sox Sept. 17, getting credit for a hold.

Moore has a career record of 1-1, 4.19 covering 34.1 innings.

• 2012: Four starts, but received only one decision, that April 15 at Boston, when he was the losing pitcher in a 6-4 loss to the Red Sox, who raked him for six earned runs, including two home runs in 6.0 innings.
• LAST START: April 26 at Tropicana Field, took a no-decision in a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels; worked 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits; allowed a home run to Mark Trumbo.
• LAST/CAREER VS. THE MARINERS: Never faced.
• AT TROPICANA FIELD: Moore has made two starts in his home ballpark and has yet to factor into a decision (0-0, 3.75 ERA in 12.0 innings); has fanned eight, walked five and surrendered one home run.
• LOVES/HATES TO FACE: Moore has faced just one current Mariner, Jesus Montero, when Montero was a member of the Yankees. Montero went 1-for-1 with a walk.

AL WEST STANDINGS

MARINERS / STATS NOTES

• Mariners finished April 11-13. In 2011, were 13-15 en route to 95 losses.
• Catcher Miguel Olivo, who homered Monday, is headed to the disabled list after straining his right groin muscle. He will be examined Tuesday in Tampa.
  
• By pitching eight innings of one-run ball Monday, Felix Hernandez now has 17 career no-decisions while throwing 7 or more innings and allowing one or fewer runs.
• Chone Figgins had the first 0-for-6 by a Seattle batter in Monday’s 3-2 loss at Tampa and is hitting .209.
• Closer Brandon League blew his second save (also took the loss) Monday. League didn’t blow his first save in 2011 until May 10.
• Mariners are 32-26 all-time at Tropicana Field, but haven’t won a series there since taking two of three games in 2008; Mariners haven’t won at Tropicana Field since 2010, having dropped all three contests in 2011 by a margin of 19-8.
• Tampa Bay has won the season series from Seattle in the past two seasons, 7-2 in 2010 and 6-4 in 2011.
• Neither Seattle nor Tampa Bay has ever swept a four-game series from the other.
• The Mariners have scored 56 of their 94 runs in the first four innings.
• Mariners are 8-2 when out-hitting their opponent and 10-3 when scoring four or more runs.
• 0-for-3 Monday, the Mariners have gone 0-for-their-last 25 with runners in scoring position.
• Since 2001, Ichiro has recorded 99 outfield assists. Only Jeff Francouer, with 100, has more.
• The Mariners Wednesday will play for the eighth time during a stretch of 16 games in 16 days. Following an off day May 10, the Mariners play 20 consecutive days, making for a 37-day stretch including 36 games.
• Since getting “perfecto-ed” by Philip Humber, the Mariners have had four double-digit hitting games (11 Monday, three by Ichiro).
• After 24 games, the Mariners rank seven in runs (94), fourth in hits (199), seventh in triples (3) and ninth in home runs (22).
• After 24 games, the Mariners rank 12th in the AL in batting average (.238), 13th in on-base percentage (.288), 11th in slugging (.374) and 12th in OPS (.663).
• Through 24 games, the Mariners are batting 45-for-210 (.217) with runners in scoring position; they went 0-for-3 Monday (Mariners batted .294 during the first 12 games of the season).
• Through 24 games, the Mariners have been out-homered 28-22.
• Through 24 games, the Mariners have left 148 men on base, their opponents 152.
• Through 24 games, the Mariners have scored 94 runs, their opponents 103.
• Ichiro (3-for-6 Monday) has 761 multi-hit games, which ranks fourth among active players, and No. 1 since his debut in 2001. Ichiro’s 47 games with four or more hits leads all active players.
• Ichiro’s three-hit game Monday marked the 226th of his major league career.
• With 96 career home runs, Ichiro needs four to become the 12th Mariner with 100. Breakdown: 94 as a leadoff hitter, one batting second, one batting third.
• The Mariners have recorded four bases-loaded walks (Kawasaki, Ryan, Montero, Smoak).
• Kyle Seager’s single in the fourth inning April 17 marked the 50,000th hit in Mariners’ history, and Brendan Ryan’s walk in the same frame scored Justin Smoak with the 25,000th run in franchise history.
• Two Mariners, Ichiro (March 28 in Tokyo vs. Oakland) and Justin Smoak (April 17 vs. Cleveland) have four-hit games in 2012.
• The Mariners have been shut out four times (April 10 at Texas, April 13 vs Oakland, April 21 vs. Chicago, April 27 at Toronto).
• Four Mariners, Hisashi Iwakuma, Munenori Kawasaki, Lucas Luetge and Erasmo Ramirez, have made their MLB debuts this season.
• The Mariners have batted around three times: April 7 at Oakland (4th inning), April 9 at Texas (1st), and April 17 vs. Cleveland (4th). Justin Smoak had two hits in the fourth vs. Cleveland, a pair of singles.
• The Mariners have three more bobblehead nights: May 25 (Dustin Ackley), June 15 (Felix Hernandez), July 28 (Dan Wilson and Randy Johnson).
• Series Records: Won 3, split 0, lost 4; Sweeps: 1; Swept: 1
• Longest Win Streak: 4 (April 24-27).
• Longest Losing Streak: 4 (April 19-22).

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).

MARINERS WON-LOSS BREAKDOWN

MARINERS BATTING PROFILE

MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE

PROBABLE PITCHERS

MARINERS 2012 SCHEDULE/RESULTS

March

April