GAME: Mariners (15-20, 4th AL West, – 7.5 GB) at Yankees (19-14, 3rd AL East, – 2.5 GB). GAME #: 36. SERIES: 3rd of 3 games. MEETING: 3rd (Yankees lead 2-0). WHEN: Sunday, 10:05 a.m., Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Kevin Millwood (Seattle, 0-4, 5.88) vs. LHP Andy Pettitte (New York, 0-0, 0.00). STREAKS: Mariners L 2; Yankees W 2. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: KIRO 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.
The way the numbers line up, Kevin Millwood, Seattle’s No. 5 starter, is due for a severe spanking when the Mariners, in last place for the first time this season, and New York Yankees conclude their three-game series Sunday.
Millwood (0-4) is winless this year, leads Seattle with 22 earned runs surrendered, has a career 5.12 lifetime ERA against New York, and an 8.74 ERA in two starts at the new Yankee Stadium. In those two games, Millwood has allowed 11 earned runs, given up four home runs and issued 11 walks. Finally, the current Yankees lineup sports a .330 batting average against him.
The 37-year-old Millwood will face off against 39-year-old Andy Pettite, who has come out of retirement and will pitch his first game since 2010. Mariners fans may recall that Pettitte won Games 1 and 5 of the 2001 ALCS, earning MVP honors in a series that eliminated the 116-win Mariners from the postseason.
A closer look at Sunday’s probables:
MARINERS: RHP Kevin Millwood (0-4, 5.88 ERA, 1.72 WHIP)
In his 16th major league season and first with the Mariners, Millwood is making his seventh start and first against the Yankees.
A native of Gastonia, NC., the 6-4, 230-pound Millwood was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 11th round of the 1993 amateur draft.
Millwood made his major league debut July 14, 1997, collecting a win in relief for the Braves against Philadelphia. During his career, Millwood pitched for the Braves (1997-02), Philadelphia (2003-04), Cleveland (2005), Texas (2006-09), Baltimore (2010) and Colorado (2011) before joining the Mariners.
Millwood twice won 18 games in a season, going 18-7 for the 1999 Braves and 18-8 for the 2002 Braves. Millwood led the National League in starts with 35 in 2000, led the NL in shutouts in 2003 with three, led the American League in ERA in 2005 at 2.86, and the AL in losses in 2010 with 16.
Millwood represented Atlanta in the 1999 All-Star Game.
During his American League career, Millwood made 24 starts against the Mariners, posting an 8-13 record with a 4.91 ERA.
Millwood signed with the Mariners Jan. 24 as a free agent, and earned the fifth spot in the rotation with a strong performance during spring training.
Millwood has a career record of 163-144, 4.13 ERA.
- LAST START: May 8, lost to Justin Verlander and Tigers 6-4 at Safeco Field; raked for five earned runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings; struck out six, walked two; threw 113 pitches, 68 for strikes.
- LAST VS. YANKEES: Sept. 17, 2010, pitching for Baltimore, took a no-decision in a 4-3 loss; allowed one earned run on five hits over 7.0 innings; fanned six, walked four and gave up a home run.
- CAREER VS. YANKEES: 2-6, 5.12 ERA, in 13 games, all starts, covering 77.1 innings; strikes out 7.3 batters per nine innings; 16 home runs.
- AT YANKEE STADIUM: 1-1, 8.74 ERA in two starts covering 11.1 innings; seven strikeouts, nine walks; four home runs and 11 earned runs.
- LOVES TO FACE: Francisco Cervelli (2-for-10, .200 BA), Curtis Granderson (9-for-39, .231 BA), Brett Gardner (4-for-16, .250 BA).
- HATES TO FACE: Andruw Jones (7-for-16, .438 BA), Robinson Cano (12-for-28, .429 BA), Raul Ibanez (18-for-47, .383 BA), Nick Swisher (14-for-39, .359 BA, 4 HRs), Alex Rodriguez (11-for-33, .333 BA, 3 HRs).
- CURRENT YANKEES VS. MILLWOOD: 104-for-315, .330 BA, 15 HRs, 50 RBIs.
Millwood / 2012
- April 11 (ND, 0-0): Allowed one earned run on four hits over 6 innings; a no-decision in a 4-3 Seattle victory over Texas; struck out seven, walked three; threw 103 pitches, 61 for strikes.
- April 17 (ND, 0-0): Couldnt hold an 8-1 lead, but took a no-decision after allowing seven runs on nine hits in four innings in Seattles 9-8 loss to Cleveland.
- April 22 (L, 0-1): Shelled for the second consecutive starts (five earned runs in 6.0 IP) in a 7-4 loss to Cleveland at Safeco.
- April 28 (L, 0-2): Lost 7-0 at Toronto despite allowing just one earned run on seven hits over 7.0 innings.
- May 3 (L, 0-3): Dropped a 4-3 decision to Jeff Niemann and the Tampa Bay Rays, falling to 0-3; allowed four earned runs on seven in 6.1 innings; struck out five and walked two, throwing 107 pitches, 66 for strikes.
- May 8 (L, 0-4): Fell to Justin Verlander and Tigers 6-4 at Safeco Field; raked for five earned runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings; struck out six, walked two; threw 113 pitches, 68 for strikes.
YANKEES: LHP Andy Pettitte (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP)
The 39-year-old Pettitte, in his 16th major league season and 14th with the Yankees, will be making his first start since 2010.
A native of Baton Rouge, LA., the 6-5, 225-pound Pettitte was selected by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1990 amateur draft.
Pettitte began his pro career in 1991 and pitched in the minors for four years before making his major league debut April 29, 1995, in a 10-3 New York win over the Kansas City Royals. Pettitte allowed two earned runs in 0.2 innings of relief.
Pettitte went on to compile a 12-9 record overthe 1995 season and remained a fixture in the Yankees rotation through 2003.
Between 1995-03, Pettitte posted two 20-win seasons, 21 in 1996 and 21 in 2003 and had four other seasons with at least 15 victories. He also made two All-Star teams during that time (1996, 2001).
Pettitte was MVP of the 2001 ALCS, winning Game 1 and Game 5, as the Yankees eliminated the 116-win Mariners from the postseason.
Pettitte has been a part of five World Series champions and is MLBs all-time postseason wins leader with 19 victories.
In 2003, the Yankees granted Pettitte free agency and he signed with the Houston Astros. He remained with the club through the 2006 season, then returned to the Yankees.
Pettitte retired following the 2010 season and did not play in 2011. He rejoined the Yankees this year under a minor league contract.
- 2012: Season debut.
- LAST START: Oct. 2, 2010, took a no-decision in a 6-5 New York victory over Boston at Fenway Park; allowed three earned runs on nine hits over 4.0 innings.
- LAST VS. MARINERS: July 8, 2010 at Safeco Field, defeated Seattle 3-1, allowing five hits over 8.0 innings; struck out nine (Russell Branyan three times) and walked four.
- CAREER VS. MARINERS: 11-11, 4.33 in 23 games, all starts, covering 153.2 innings; averages 7.0 strikeouts per nine IP; 15 home runs.
- AT YANKEE STADIUM: 13-7, 4.31 in 28 games, all starts, covering 169.1 innings; 81 of 86 runs allowed earned; has surrendered 24 home runs.
- LOVES/HATES TO FACE: Pettitte has faced only four current Mariners, none more often than Ichiro, who is 16-for-46 (.400 BA) with five RBIs against him.
- CURRENT MARINERS VS. PETTITTE: 31-for-93, .333 BA, 2 HRs, 22 strikeouts.
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | 22 | 12 | .647 | — | 9-6 | 13-6 | 5-5 | Lost 1 |
| Athletics | 18 | 16 | .529 | 4.0 | 9-9 | 9-7 | 7-3 | Won 2 |
| Angels | 15 | 19 | .441 | 7.0 | 9-8 | 6-11 | 6-4 | Won 1 |
| Mariners | 15 | 20 | .429 | 7.5 | 7-8 | 8-12 | 4-6 | Lost 2 |
MARINERS / STATS NOTES
- CURRENT ROAD TRIP: Three vs. New York (Friday-Sunday), two in Boston (Tuesday-Wednesday), two in Cleveland (Thursday-Friday), three in Colorado (May 18-20).
- MARINERS VS. YANKEES: Mariners are 165-210 all-time vs. the Yankees, including 5-8 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 to Tuesday to give his elbow more time to recover from the line drive he took off the bat of Miguel Cabrera last week. Jason Vargas goes against the Red Sox Monday . . . Manager Eric Wedge elected to sit SS Brendan Ryan Saturday after he whiffed with the bases loaded in the fifth inning Friday. Ryan is batting .149 . . . Mike Carp went 2-for-4 Saturday and is batting .437 (7×16) at Yankee Stadium since 2009 . . . Dustin Ackley, 2-for-4 Saturday, extended his hitting streak to seven games . . . Over his past 15 games, Kyle Seager is hitting .333 (19-for-57) . . . Jesus Montero is batting .375 when he catches and .182 (13×72) when he DHs . . . John Jaso, who drove in the winning run vs. Detroit Wednesday, has three game-winning RBIs . . . By the time the Mariners return to Seattle May 21, they will have played 28 road games vs. 15 at home.
- SERIES/STREAKS: Series Record: Won 5, split 0, lost 6; Sweeps: 1; Swept: 1. Longest Win Streak: 4 (April 24-27). Longest Losing Streak: 7 (April 28-May 4). Vs. AL East: 1-8; Vs. AL Central: 8-7; Vs. AL West: 6-5.
- BATTING: Mariners rank 10th (AL) in runs (129), 10th in hits (275), fourth in doubles (60), ninth in triples (5) and 10th in home runs (30) . . . Rank 13th in batting average (.233), 14th in on-base percentage (.289), 12th in slugging (.369) and 13th in OPS (.658) . . . batting 65-for-280 (.232) with runners in scoring position after going 0-for-5 Saturday . . . out-homered 39-30 . . . left 215 men on base, opponents 213 . . .scored 129 runs, opponents 141 . . . scored 72 of 129 runs in the first four innings . . . Mariners 12-5 when scoring 4+ runs . . . Mariners have homered in 12 of last 18 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, Miguel Olivo and Dustin Ackley share Seattle’s longest hitting streak: 8 games, Montero March 29-April 14; Olivo April 22 until he went on DL list May 1; Ackley May 3-present . . . 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 eighth in ERA (3.93), fifth in hits allowed (278), fifth in runs allowed (141), 10th in home runs allowed (39), third in walks (94), seventh in strikeouts (245) . . . 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 (1-for-4 Saturday) 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 T99 on career hits list (2,468) with 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 17 games in the next 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-20 | 7-8 | 8-12 | 2-7 | 12-14 | 11-18 | 4-3 | 11-9 | 4-11 |
MARINERS BATTING PROFILE
| Avg. | Home | Road | R | HR | OBP | SLG | OPS | RISP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .233 | .205 | .251 | 129 | 30 | .288 | .368 | .657 | .232 |
MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE
| Rec. | ERA | IP | R | ER | HR | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-20 | 3.93 | 309.1 | 141 | 134 | 39 | .240 | .301 | .392 |
PROBABLE PITCHERS
| Date | Day | Opp. | Probable Pitchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/13 | Sun | at NYY | Kevin Millwood (0-4, 5.88) vs. Andy Pettitte (0-0, 0.00) |
| 5/14 | Mon | at Bos | Jason Vargas (4-2, 2.79) vs. John Lester (1-3, 4.29) |
| 5/15 | Tue | at Bos | Blake Beavan (1-3, 4.32) vs. Josh Beckett (2-4, 5.97) |
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 | L, 6-2 | 15-20 | W: Hughes (3-4); L: Noesi (2-4) |
| 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 | — | — | — |