GAME: Mariners (11-14, 3rd AL West, – 6.5 GB) at Rays (16-8, 1st AL East, 0-0 GB). GAME #: 26. SERIES: 3rd of 4 games. MEETING (2012): 3rd (Rays lead 2-0). WHEN: Wednesday, 4:10 p.m. Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Blake Beavan (Seattle, 1-2, 3.60) vs. RHP James Shields (Tampa Bay, 4-0, 3.31). STREAKS: Mariners L 4; Rays W 3. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: KIRO 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.
Their clutch hitting at a loss — currently standing 0-for-30 with runners in scoring position — the Mariners play the third game of a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday.
The Mariners will task RHP Blake Beavan with halting a four-game losing streak, which has occurred on the heels of a four-game winning streak. Beavan is coming off a no-decision in Toronto, while his opposite, RHP James Shields, is coming off four consecutive victories.
Despite the fact the Mariners have scored only five runs in their past four games, all on solo homers, they are only 6.5 games behind Texas in the AL West race. A closer took at Wednesday’s probables:
MARINERS: RHP Blake Beavan (1-2, 3.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP)
The 23-year-old Beavan, in his second major league season and second with the Mariners, will be making his fifth start and first against the Rays.
A native of Irving, TX., the 6-7, 240-pound Beavan was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round (17th pick) of the 2007 amateur draft.
After pitching in the minor leagues from 2008-11, Beavan made his major league debut July 3 against the San Diego Padres. He worked 7 IP, allowed three hits, two walks and one earned run in a 3-1 Seattle victory at Safeco Field.
Beavan became a Mariner July 9, 2010, when the Rangers traded him, along with Matthew Lawson (minors), Josh Lueke and Justin Smoak to Seattle for Cliff Lee, Mark Lowe and cash.
Beavan, who had 15 starts for the Mariners in 2011, has a career record of 6-8, 4.13 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
- LAST START: April 27 at Toronto, received a no-decision in Seattle’s 9-5 win over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Center; allowed three runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings, including a solo home run to Edwin Encarnacion; game won by reliever Charlie Furbush in relief of Beavan; threw 96 pitches, 63 for strikes.
- LAST VS. RAYS: Never pitched.
- CAREER VS. RAYS: No record.
- AT TROPICANA FIELD: No record.
- LOVES/HATES TO FACE: Beavan has pitched to two current Rays, Brandon Allen (2-for-5, .400 BA, 1 RBI), and Jose Molina (1-for-2, .500 BA).
- CURRENT RAYS VS. BEAVAN: 3-for-7, .429 BA, 2 2Bs, 1 RBI.
Beavan / 2012
- April 12 (L, 0-1): Worked 6.1 innings and allowed one earned run, but couldnt overcome the start by Texas Neftali Feliz, who had eight shutout innings.
- April 15 (W, 1-1): Outdueled Graham Godfrey in a 5-3 win over the Oakland Athletics; three earned runs on six hits over 7.0 innings; seven ground-ball outs and 16 fly-ball outs.
- April 21 (L, 1-2): Was the losing pitcher in Philip Humbers perfect game at Safeco Field; allowed three runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings; gave up one home run among his 101 pitches, 70 for strikes.
- April 27 (ND, 1-2): Allowed three earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings, taking a no-decision in Seattle’s 9-5 win at Toronto.
RAYS: RHP James Shields (4-0, 3.31 ERA, 1.22 WHIP)
The 30-year-old Shields, in his seventh major league season, all with Tampa Bay, will be making his sixth start season and his against the Mariners.
A native of Newhall, CA., the 6-4, 215-pound Shields was selected by the Rays in the 16th round of the 2000 amateur draft.
He pitched in 93 minor league games in the Tampa system from 2000-06, and made his major league debut May 31, 2006, in a 6-5 loss to Baltimore at Camden Yards; allowed five runs on nine hits in 5.0 innings and received a no-decision.
Shields went 6-8, 4.84 in 2006 and became a fixture in Tampa Bays rotation in 2007, when he made 31 starts, posting a 12-8 record and 3.85 ERA.
Shields won 14 games in 2008, 11 in 2009, 13 in 2010 and a career-high 16 (16-12) last year, when he posted a 2.82 ERA in 33 starts.
He led the American League in complete games in 2010 (11). He also led the league in home runs allowed with 34 in 2010. Shields made the American League All-Star team in 2011.
Shields has a career record of 76-63, 3.94 ERA.
- 2012: Shields is off to the best start of his career at 4-0, 3.31 ERA covering five starts and 35.1 innings. He has worked into the eighth inning in three of the five; has issued eight walks. Shields had his best start April 16 at Boston, when he allowed no runs on four hits over 8.1 innings in Tampas 1-0 victory.
- LAST START: April 27, defeated Texas in Arlington 8-4; worked 6.0 innings and gave up a season-high 11 hits, but fanned eight and didnt walk a batter in a 112-pitch effort that included 74 strikes.
- LAST VS. MARINERS: Aug. 21 at Tropicana Field, received a no-decision in Tampa Bays 8-7 victory; raked for seven earned runs on 12 hits in 7.1 innings; allowed home runs to Casper Wells and Wily Mo Pena.
- CAREER VS. MARINERS: 3-4 record, 4.04 ERA in 11 starts, covering 72.1 innings; has ceded 34 earned runs over that span and been dinged for 13 home runs.
- AT TROPICANA FIELD: Is 40-26 with a 3.39 ERA in 95 starts, covering 656 innings; fans 7.9 batters per 9 innings; has allowed 68 home runs.
- LOVES TO FACE: Brendan Ryan (0-for-3, .000 BA).
- HATES TO FACE: Pretty much the entire roster: Michael Saunders (3-for-6, .500 BA), Casper Wells (2-for-4, .500 BA, 2 HR), Chone Figgins (11-for-29, .379 BA), Ichiro (12-for-37, .324 BA, 1 HR).
- CURRENT MARINERS VS. SHIELDS: 53-for-149, .356 BA, 6 HRs, 15 RBIs.
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | 17 | 7 | .708 | — | 8-5 | 9-2 | 5-5 | Lost 1 |
| Athletics | 12 | 13 | .480 | 5.5 | 6-7 | 6-6 | 5-5 | Won 1 |
| Mariners | 11 | 14 | .440 | 6.5 | 3-6 | 8-8 | 4-6 | Lost 4 |
| Angels | 9 | 15 | .375 | 8.0 | 6-6 | 3-9 | 4-6 | Won 2 |
MARINERS / STATS NOTES
- The Mariners started their 10-day, 10-game road trip going 15-for-46 with runners in scoring position. Since then, have gone 0-for-30.
- With two hits Tuesday, Ichiro surpassed Hall of Famer Lloyd Waner and moved into a tie for 104th place all-time on the career hits list with 2,460.
- Jesus Montero had four hits Tuesday, his major league high.
- The Mariners have scored five runs in their past four games, all on solo home runs.
- With his 0-for-2 Tuesday, Brendan Ryan extended his hitless streak to 0-for-23.
- Mariners finished month of April with an 11-13 record. The Mariners were 13-15 in April, 2011, en route to 95 losses.
- The Mariners placed catcher Miguel Olivo, who homered Monday, on the 15-day disabled list after straining his right groin muscle; recalled OF Mike Carp.
- 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.
- Closer Brandon League has two blown saves after not blowing his first save of 2011 until May 10.
- Mariners are 32-27 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 each of the past two seasons, 7-2 in 2010 and 6-4 in 2011.
- Neither Seattle nor Tampa Bay has swept a four-game series from the other (this will be a four-game series).
- The Mariners have scored 57 of their 95 runs in the first four innings.
- Mariners are 8-3 when out-hitting their opponent and 10-3 when scoring four or more runs.
- 0-for-5 Tuesday, the Mariners have gone 0-for-their-last 30 with runners in scoring position.
- Since 2001, Ichiro has recorded 99 outfield assists. Only Jeff Francouer, with 100, has more.
- The Mariners do not have an off day until May 10, after which they will play on 20 consecutive days, making for a 37-day stretch including 36 games.
- Since getting “perfecto-ed” by Philip Humber last Saturday, the Mariners have had four double-digit hitting games (11 Monday, three by Ichiro).
- The Mariners rank eighth in runs (95), fourth in hits (208), seventh in triples (3) and eighth in home runs (23).
- The Mariners rank 12th (AL) in batting average (.239), 13th in on-base percentage (.287), 11th in slugging (.376) and 12th in OPS (.663).
- The Mariners are batting 45-for-212 (.212) with runners in scoring position; they went 0-for-5 Tuesday (Mariners batted .294 during the first 12 games of the season).
- The Mariners have been out-homered 29-23.
- The Mariners have left 156 men on base, their opponents 155.
- The Mariners have scored 95 runs, their opponents 106.
- Ichiro (2-for-4 Tuesday) has 762 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.
- When Miguel Olivo and Jesus Montero homered Monday, it marked the first time in franchise history that two players had homered in the same game as a catcher.
- 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.
- Three Mariners, Ichiro (March 28 in Tokyo vs. Oakland), Justin Smoak (April 17 vs. Cleveland) and Jesus Montero (May 1 at Tampa) have four-hit games in 2012.
- Jesus Montero and Miguel Olivo own Seattle’s longest hitting streak: Montero from March 29-April 14, Olivo from April 22 until he went on the disabled list May 1.
- Montero’s 13 RBIs in April were the most by a Mariners’ rookie since 1986.
- 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, April 28-May 1).
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
| Rec. | Home | Road | Day | Night | vs. RHP | vs. LHP | Hit HR | No HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-14 | 3-6 | 8-8 | 1-5 | 9-10 | 8-11 | 3-3 | 9-6 | 2-8 |
MARINERS BATTING PROFILE
| Avg. | Home | Road | R | HR | OBP | SLG | OPS | RISP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .239 | .195 | .260 | 95 | 23 | .287 | .376 | .663 | .212 |
MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE
| Rec. | ERA | IP | R | ER | HR | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-14 | 4.11 | 223.1 | 106 | 101 | 29 | .245 | .307 | .403 |
PROBABLE PITCHERS
| Date | Day | Opp. | Probable Pitchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/2 | Wed | at TB | Beavan (1-2, 3.26) vs. Shields (3-0, 2.76) |
| 5/3 | Thr | at TB | Millwood (today) vs. Niemann (1-2, 4.11) |
MARINERS 2012 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
March
| Gm.# | Date | Opp. | W/L | Rec. | Win / Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3/28 | at Oak | W, 3-1 | 1-0 | W: Wilhelmsen (1-0); L: Carignan (0-1) |
| 2 | 3/29 | at Oak | L, 4-1 | 1-1 | W: Colon (1-0); L: Kelley (0-1) |
April
| Gm. # | Date | Opp. | W/L | Rec. | Win / Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4/6 | at Oak | W, 7-3 | 2-1 | W: Vargas (1-0); L: McCarthy (0-1) |
| 4 | 4/7 | at Oak | W, 8-7 | 3-1 | W: Hernandez (1-0); L: Colon (1-1) |
| 5 | 4/9 | at Tex | L, 11-5 | 3-2 | W: Darvish (1-0); L: Noesi (0-1) |
| 6 | 4/10 | at Tex | L, 1-0 | 3-3 | W: Feliz (1-0); L: Beavan (0-1) |
| 7 | 4/11 | at Tex | W, 4-3 | 4-3 | W: Luetge (1-0); L: Nathan (0-2) |
| 8 | 4/12 | at Tex | L, 5-3 | 4-4 | W: Holland (1-0); L: Vargas (1-1 |
| 9 | 4/13 | vs Oak | L, 4-0 | 4-5 | W: Colon (2-1); L: Hernandez (1-1) |
| 10 | 4/14 | vs. Oak | W, 4-0 | 5-5 | W: Noesi (1-1); L: Milone (1-1) |
| 11 | 4/15 | vs. Oak | W, 5-3 | 6-5 | W: Beavan (1-1); L: Godfrey (0-2) |
| 12 | 4/17 | vs. Cle | L, 9-8 | 6-6 | W: Perez (0-1); L: Furbush (0-1) |
| 13 | 4/18 | vs. Cle | W, 4-1 | 7-6 | W: Vargas (2-1); L: Lowe (2-1) |
| 14 | 4/19 | vs. Cle | L, 2-1 | 7-7 | W: Tomlin (1-1); L: League (0-1) |
| 15 | 4/20 | vs. CWS | L, 7-3 | 7-8 | W: Sale (2-1); L: Noesi (1-2) |
| 16 | 4/21 | vs. CWS | L, 4-0 | 7-9 | W: Humber (1-0); Beavan (1-2) |
| 17 | 4/22 | vs. CWS | L, 7-4 | 7-10 | W: Danks (2-2); L: Millwood (0-1) |
| 18 | 4/24 | at Det | W, 7-4 | 8-10 | W: Vargas (3-1); L: Scherzer (1-2) |
| 19 | 4/25 | at Det | W, 9-1 | 9-10 | W: Fernandez (2-1); L: Wilk (0-3) |
| 20 | 4/26 | at Det | W, 5-4 | 10-10 | W: Furbush (1-1); L: Porcello (1-2) |
| 21 | 4/27 | at Tor | W, 9-5 | 11-10 | W: Furbush (2-1); L: Perez (2-1) |
| 22 | 4/28 | at Tor | L, 7-0 | 11-11 | W: Morrow (2-1); L: Millwood (0-2) |
| 23 | 4/29 | at Tor | L, 7-2 | 11-12 | W: Alvarez (1-2); L: Vargas (3-2) |
| 24 | 4/30 | at TB | L, 3-2 | 11-13 | W: Howell (1-0); L: League (0-2) |
May
| Gm. # | Date | Opp. | W/L | Rec. | Win / Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 5/1 | at TB | L, 3-1 | 11-14 | W: Moore (1-1); L: Noesi (1-3) |
| 26 | 5/2 | at TB | — | — | — |
| 27 | 5/3 | at TB | — | — | — |
| 28 | 5/4 | vs. Min | — | — | — |
| 29 | 5/5 | vs. Min | — | — | |
| 30 | 5/6 | vs. Min | — | — | — |
| 31 | 5/7 | vs. Det | — | — | — |
| 32 | 5/8 | vs. Det | — | — | — |
| 33 | 5/9 | vs. Det | — | — | — |
| 34 | 5/11 | at NYY | — | — | — |
| 35 | 5/12 | at NYY | — | — | — |
| 36 | 5/13 | at NYY | — | — | — |
| 37 | 5/14 | at Bos | — | — | — |
| 38 | 5/15 | at Bos | — | — | — |
| 39 | 5/16 | at Cle | — | — | — |
| 40 | 5/17 | at Cle | — | — | — |
| 41 | 5/18 | at Col | — | — | — |
| 42 | 5/19 | at Col | — | — | — |
| 43 | 5/20 | at Col | — | — | — |
| 44 | 5/21 | vs. Tex | — | — | — |
| 45 | 5/22 | vs. Tex | — | — | — |
| 46 | 5/23 | vs. Tex | — | — | — |
| 47 | 5/24 | vs. LAL | — | — | — |
| 48 | 5/25 | vs. LAL | — | — | — |
| 49 | 5/26 | vs. LAL | — | — | — |
| 50 | 5/27 | vs. LAL | — | — | — |
| 51 | 5/28 | at Tex | — | — | — |
| 52 | 5/29 | at Tex | — | — | — |
| 53 | 5/30 | at Tex | — | — | — |