GAME: Mariners (15-19, 3rd AL West, – 7.5 GB) at Yankees (18-14, 4th AL East, – 2.5 GB). GAME #: 35. SERIES: 2nd of 3 games. MEETING: 2nd (Yankees lead 1-0). WHEN: Saturday, 1:05 p.m., Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Hector Noesi (2-3, 6.30) vs. RHP Phil Hughes (2-4, 6.67). STREAKS: Mariners L 1; Yankees W 1. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: KIRO 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.
The Mariners have not won a series in New York since 2002, when Lou Piniella managed the club, and they gave no indication Friday of improvement, going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, 1-for-12 with men on base, and losing to the Yankees 6-2. To reverse the trend, the Mariners will call upon former Yankee property Hector Noesi Saturday, coming off his best outing of the season.
The Yankees will answer with RHP Phil Hughes, who sports a dismal ERA (6.67), but is coming off a win against Kansas City, which doesn’t count for much since the Royals are already 11-20. A closer look at Saturday’s duelists:
MARINERS: RHP Hector Noesi (2-3, 6.30 ERA, 1.40 WHIP)
In his second major league season, first with the Mariners, Noesi, 25, is making his seventh start and first against the Yankees.
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 4-5, 5.11 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.
- LAST START: May 6 vs. Minnesota, defeated Nick Blackburn and the Twins 5-2 at Safeco Field; allowed one earned run in 7.0 innings; struck out five, walked three and gave up one home run; threw 105 pitches, 73 for strikes.
- LAST VS. YANKEES: Never faced.
- CAREER VS. YANKEES: No record.
- AT YANKEE STADIUM: 1-1 record, 2.59 ERA in 14 games, including one start covering 31.1 innings; has 25 strikeouts vs. eight walks; three home runs.
- LOVES/HATES TO FACE: Noesi has not pitched against a current member of the Yankees roster.
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): Didnt 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.
- May 1 (L, 1-3): Allowed three runs on three hits in 5.2 innings in a 3-1 loss to the Rays; struck out one and walked three, throwing 84 pitches, just 46 for strikes; allowed one home run.
- May 6 (W, 2-3): Defeated Nick Blackburn and the Twins 5-2 at Safeco Field; allowed one earned run in 7.0 innings; struck out five, walked three and gave up one home run; threw 105 pitches, 73 for strikes.
YANKEES: RHP Phil Hughes (2-4, 6.67 ERA, 1.48 WHIP)
The 25-year-old Hughes, in his sixth major league season, all with the Yankees, will be making his seventh start and first against the Mariners.
A native of Mission Viejo, CA., the 6-5, 240-pound Hughes was originally selected by the Yankees in the first round (23rd pick) of the 2004 amateur draft.
Hughes began his pro career in 2004 pitching in the Gulf Coast League and made his major league debut April 26, 2007 in a 6-0 New York loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Hughes was the losing pitcher, allowing four runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings while striking out five and walking just one.
Hughes went 5-3 over the 2007 season (13 starts). He split 2008 between the majors and minors, then saw action in 51 games in 2009, primarily as a reliever. Hughes became a full-time starter in 2010 — 29 times. In 2011, he made 14 starts.
Hughes enjoyed his best season in 2010, 18-8, and made the All-Star team. In 2011, Hughes was 5-5 as arm fatigue cost him almost half the season. His pitching repertoire consists of a four-seam fastball, a cutter, curveball and changeup.
Hughes has a career record of 38-27, 4.60 ERA.
- 2012: Hughes has shown improvement in his last two starts, which could keep him in the rotation, even with Andy Pettitte’s return. He held the Royals to three runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings in his most recent outing. On the other hand, he has pitched into the sixth inning just three times an has allowed four or more earned runs three times.
- LAST START: May 6 at Kansas City, defeated the Royals 10-4; allowed three earned runs on six hits over 6.2 innings; one home run.
- LAST VS. MARINERS: Sept. 12 defeated the Mariners 9-3, besting Felix Hernandez at Safeco Field; allowed one run on five hits over 6.0 innings, struck out three and walked three; gave up two hits to Miguel Olivo, fanned Dustin Ackley twice.
- CAREER VS. MARINERS: 3-2, 3.21 in eight games, including five starts, covering 33.2 innings; has 24 strikeouts vs. eight walks; two home runs.
- AT YANKEE STADIUM: 17-9, 4.97 in 55 games, including 31 starts, covering 193.2 innings; averages 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings; has yielded five home runs.
- LOVES TO FACE: Chone Figgins (1-for-9, .111 BA), John Jaso (1-for-8, .125 BA), Michael Saunders (1-for-6, .167 BA).
- HATES TO FACE: Mike Carp (3-for-5, .600 BA), Dustin Ackley (3-for-6, .500 BA), Ichiro (6-for-14, .429 BA).
- CURRENT MARINERS VS. HUGHES: 19-for-74, .257 BA, 1 HR, 11 Ks.
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | 22 | 11 | .667 | — | 9-5 | 13-6 | 5-5 | Won 2 |
| Athletics | 17 | 16 | .515 | 5.0 | 8-9 | 9-7 | 6-4 | Won 1 |
| Mariners | 15 | 19 | .441 | 7.5 | 7-8 | 8-11 | 4-6 | Lost 1 |
| Angels | 14 | 19 | .424 | 8.0 | 9-8 | 5-11 | 6-4 | Lost 1 |
MARINERS / STATS NOTES
- CURRENT ROAD TRIP: Three vs. New York (Friday-Sunday), two in Boston (Tuesday-Wednesday), two in Cleveland (May 16-17), three in Colorado (May 18-20).
- MARINERS VS. YANKEES: Mariners are 165-209 all-time vs. the Yankees, including 5-7 at new Yankee Stadium. Yankees won 2011 series 5-4. Mariners have not won a season series from New York since 2002 (5-4). Mariners have not swept a three-game series in New York since May 3-5, 2002. New York’s last sweep of the Mariners in Yankee Stadium occurred May 23-25, 2008.
- LATEST: Blake Beavan’s next start has been pushed by to Tuesday to given him more time to recover from the line drive he took off the bat Miguel Cabrera last week. Kevin Millwood will pitch against the Yankees Sunday and Jason Vargas against the Red Sox Monday . . . After losing Friday, Felix Hernandez is now 6-5, 3.45 all-time in 12 starts against the Yankees . . . Dustin Ackley, given the day off Wednesday, extended his hitting streak to seven games with a first-inning home run Friday. . . Justin Smoak, who went 2-for-20 in the most recent home stand, broke out of a 3-for-30 slump and went 3-for-4 (all singles) against the Yankees Friday, lifting his average from .173 to .193 . . . Over his past 14 games, Kyle Seager is hitting .340 (18-for-53) . . . Jesus Montero is batting .375 when he catches and .191 (13×68) when he DHs . . . John Jaso, who drove in the winning run vs. Detroit Wednesday, has three game-winning RBIs.
- SERIES/STREAKS: Series Record: Won 5, split 0, lost 5; Sweeps: 1; Swept: 1. Longest Win Streak: 4 (April 24-27). Longest Losing Streak: 7 (April 28-May 4). Vs. AL East: 1-7; Vs. AL Central: 8-7; Vs. AL West: 6-5.
- BATTING: Mariners rank 10th (AL) in runs (127), 11th in hits (267), fourth in doubles (58), ninth in triples (5) and 10th in home runs (29) . . . Rank 13th in batting average (.233), 14th in on-base percentage (.289), 12th in slugging (.369) and 13th in OPS (.658) . . . batting 65-for-275 (.236) with runners in scoring position after going 0-for-5 Friday . . . out-homered 37-29 . . . left 209 men on base, opponents 209. . .scored 127 runs, opponents 135 . . . scored 72 of 127 runs in the first four innings . . . Mariners 12-5 when scoring 4+ runs . . . Mariners have homered in 11 of last 17 games . . . batted around three times: April 7 at Oakland (4th inning), April 9 at Texas (1st), and April 17 vs. Cleveland (4th) . . . shut out four times (April 10 at Texas, April 13 vs Oakland, April 21 vs. Chicago, April 27 at Toronto).
- BATTING EXTRA: Jesus Montero and Miguel Olivo share Seattle’s longest hitting streak: 8 games, Montero March 29-April 14, Olivo April 22 until he went on DL list May 1 . . . 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 . . . Montero’s 13 RBIs in April were the most by a Mariners’ rookie since 1986 . . . Three Mariners, Ichiro (March 28 vs. Oakland), Justin Smoak (April 17 vs. Cleveland) and Jesus Montero (May 1 at Tampa) have four-hit games . . . Walk-Off Wins: May 7, their first since Sept. 14, 2011 vs. New York, and their first via a sacrifice fly since Sept. 14, 2007 vs. Tampa Bay (Jose Guillen).
- PITCHING: Mariners rank sixth in ERA (3.85), fifth in hits allowed (270), fifth in runs allowed (135), 10th in home runs allowed (37), fifth in walks (94), seventh in strikeouts (239) . . . Felix Hernandez has 17 career no-decisions while throwing 7.0 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.
- ICHIRO (0-for-4 Friday) has 763 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 . . . Three-hit game April 30 marked the 226th of his major league career . . . Ranks No. 100 on career hits list (2,467) and needs one hit to tie Frank Thomas . . . Since 2001, has recorded 99 outfield assists. Only Jeff Francouer, with 100, has more . . . With 96 career home runs, needs four to become the 12th Mariner with 100. Breakdown: 94 as a leadoff hitter, one batting second, one batting third.
- ODDS/ENDS: The Mariners will play 19 games in the next 19 days. Their next day off is June 7 . . . Mariners have three more bobblehead nights: May 25 (Dustin Ackley), June 15 (Felix Hernandez), July 28 (Dan Wilson and Randy Johnson).
- DEBUTS: Munenori Kawasaki (April 7), Lucas Luetge (April 7), Erasmo Ramirez (April 9), Hisashi Iwakuma (April 20).
- DISABLED LIST: Miguel Olivo (15-day, May 1, strained right groin), George Sherrill (15-day, April 13, strained flexor bundle), Franklin Gutierrez (15-day, March 28, torn pectoral muscle; plantar fascitis), Adam Moore (15-day, March 28, fractured wrist).
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.
MARINERS WON-LOSS BREAKDOWN
| Rec. | Home | Road | Day | Night | vs. RHP | vs. LHP | Hit HR | No HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-19 | 7-8 | 8-11 | 2-6 | 12-14 | 11-17 | 4-3 | 11-8 | 4-11 |
MARINERS BATTING PROFILE
| Avg. | Home | Road | R | HR | OBP | SLG | OPS | RISP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .233 | .205 | .252 | 127 | 29 | .289 | .369 | .658 | .236 |
MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE
| Rec. | ERA | IP | R | ER | HR | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-19 | 3.85 | 301.1 | 135 | 128 | 37 | .239 | .302 | .388 |
PROBABLE PITCHERS
| Date | Day | Opp. | Probable Pitchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/11 | Fri | at NYY | Felix Hernandez (3-1, 1.89) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (2-4, 3.75) |
| 5/12 | Sat | at NYY | Hector Noesi (2-3, 6.30) vs. Phil Hughes (2-4, 6.67) |
| 5/12 | Sat | at NYY | Kevin Millwood (0-4, 5.88) vs. Andy Pettitte (0-0, 0.00) |
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 | L, 5-4 | 11-15 | W: Shields (5-0); L: Beavan (1-3) |
| 27 | 5/3 | at TB | L, 4-3 | 11-16 | W: Niemann (2-3); L: Millwood (0-3) |
| 28 | 5/4 | vs. Min | L, 3-2 | 11-17 | W: Pavano (2-2); L: Wilhelmsen (1-1) |
| 29 | 5/5 | vs. Min | W, 7-0 | 12-17 | W: Hernandez (3-1); L: Marquis (2-1) |
| 30 | 5/6 | vs. Min | W, 5-2 | 13-17 | W: Noesi (2-3): L: Blackburn (0-4) |
| 31 | 5/7 | vs. Det | W, 3-2 | 14-17 | W: Delabar (1-0); L: Dotel (1-1) |
| 32 | 5/8 | vs. Det | L, 6-4 | 14-18 | W: Verlander (3-1); L: Millwood (0-4) |
| 33 | 5/9 | vs. Det | W, 2-1 | 15-18 | W: Vargas (4-2); L: Putkoen (0-1) |
| 34 | 5/11 | at NYY | L, 6-2 | 15-19 | W: Kuroda (3-4); L: Hernandez (3-2) |
| 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 | — | — | — |