GAME: Mariners (16-23, 4th AL West, – 8.5 GB) at Indians (21-16, 1st AL Central, +3.0 GA). GAME #: 40. SERIES: 2nd of 2 games. MEETING: 5th (Indians lead 3-1). WHEN: Thursday, 9:05 a.m., Progressive Field, Cleveland. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Hector Noesi (Seattle, 2-4, 6.32) vs. RHP Zach McAllister (Cleveland, 1-1, 4.15). STREAKS: Mariners L 3; Indians W 3. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: KIRO 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.
The Mariners have an early wake-up call Thursday to take on the Cleveland Indians in the second game of a two-game series at Progressive Field. The joust commences at 9:05 a.m., Seattle carrying into the fray an three-game losing streak after Wednesday’s 9-3 shellacking.
Hector Noesi, all over the map in terms of his performances so far, gets the call for Seattle. He is coming off a beating by the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Noesi will contest Zach McAllister, who has faced the Mariners just once (and regretted it). A closer look:
MARINERS: RHP Hector Noesi (2-4, 6.32 ERA, 1.29 WHIP)
In his second major league season, first with the Mariners, Noesi, 25, is making his eighth start and first against the Indians.
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 4-6, 5.21 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.
- LAST START: May 12 at New York, lost to the Yankees 6-2; allowed five earned runs on six hits in 7.0 innings; struck out four and walked none, but gave up two home runs, including one to former Mariner Raul Ibanez.
- LAST VS. INDIANS: Never faced.
- CAREER VS. INDIANS: No record.
- AT PROGRESSIVE FIELD: Has never pitched in the park.
- LOVES/HATES TO FACE: Noesi has faced two members of the Indians, former Mariner Casey Kotchman (0-for-5) and Johnny Damon (0-for-1).
- CURRENT INDIANS VS. NOESI: 0-for-6, .000 BA, one strikeout, two walks.
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.
- May 12 (L, 2-4): Lost to the Yankees 6-2; allowed five earned runs on six hits in 7.0 innings; struck out four and walked none, but gave up two home runs, including one to former Mariner Raul Ibanez.
INDIANS: RHP Zach McAllister (1-1, 4.15 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)
The 24-year-old McAllister, in his second major league season, both with the Indians, will be making his third start and first against the Mariners.
A native of Chillicothe, IL, McAllister went to the New York Yankees in the third round of the 2006 amateur draft. He pitched in the Yankees system until Aug. 20, 2010, when New York sent McAllister to Cleveland to complete an earlier deal made July 30, 2010.
Prior to the trade, McAllister ranked as the fifth-best prospect in the Yankees system. New York named him its Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2009.
At the 2010 MLB trade deadline, the Yankees and Mariners almost completed a deal that would have sent McAllister, Jesús Montero, and David Adams to Seattle for Cliff Lee. When the teams shared medical reports, the Mariners determined that Adams’ ankle was broken, not sprained. As a result, they chose to trade Lee to the Texas Rangers in a package centered around Justin Smoak.
McAllister made his major league debut July 7, receiving a no-decision in Clevelands 5-4 win over Toronto; McAllister started and allowed three earned runs on five hits in 4.0 innings.
McAllister went 0-1, 6.11 over 2011 while making four starts. He had his best outing Sept. 28 at Detroit when he did not allow a run and gave up six hits in 6.0 innings (no-decision).
McAllister has a career mark of 1-2, 5.28 ERA.
- 2012: Two starts. He won his first one May 7, defeating the Chicago White Sox 8-6, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out five.
- LAST START: May 12 at Fenway Park, lost to the Red Sox 4-1; allowed four earned runs on eight hits over 7.0 innings; struck out eight and walked none; allowed one home run.
- LAST VS. MARINERS: Aug. 23 at Progressive Field, lost to Anthony Vasquez and the Mariners 12-7; raked for eight earned runs on nine hits, including a two-run homer by Mike Carp.
- CAREER VS. MARINERS: 0-1, 21.60 ERA in one game, a start, covering 3.1 innings; has two walks and two strikeouts.
- AT PROGRESSIVE FIELD: 1-1, 6.75 ERA in four starts, covering 18.2 innings; averages 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings; one home run.
- LOVES/HATES TO FACE: McAllister has one game against the Mariners. Dustin Ackley (2-for-3, .667 BA) is the only active Mariner with more than one hit off him, and Mike Carp has the only homer. Brendan Ryan (0-for-2) and Ichiro (0-for-2) are a combined 0-for-4 against McAllister.
- CURRENT MARINERS VS. MCALLISTER: 8-for-16, .500 BA, 7 RBIs, 2 strikeouts, 1.404 OPS.
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | 24 | 14 | .632 | — | 11-8 | 13-6 | 6-4 | Won 1 |
| Athletics | 19 | 19 | .500 | 5.0 | 9-10 | 10-9 | 5-5 | Lost 2 |
| Angels | 17 | 21 | .447 | 7.0 | 11-9 | 6-12 | 6-4 | Won 2 |
| Mariners | 16 | 23 | .410 | 8.5 | 7-8 | 9-15 | 4-6 | Lost 3 |
MARINERS / STATS NOTES
- CURRENT ROAD TRIP: Three in New York, two in Boston, two in Cleveland (Wednesday-Thursday), three in Colorado (Friday-Sunday).
- MARINERS VS. INDIANS: Mariners 158-202 all-time vs. the Indians, including 78-104 at Progressive Field. Mariners won 2011 series 5-4, including 4-2 in Cleveland. Mariners also won 2010 series 4-3.
- LATEST: Mariners are 1-5 on 10-game road trip . . . Mariners started the season winning eight of first 12 on the road, but are 1-11 since April 28 . . . Mariners scored three times Wednesday, but have scored two or fewer runs in 15 of 40 games . . . Dustin Ackley, 3-for-4 Wednesday, extended hitting streak to 12 games, longest by a Mariner in 2012. Ackley’s three-hit game was his first since April 6 at Oakland . . . Over their past 12 road games, the Mariners are 6-for-78 (.076) with runners in scoring position. Ichiro left four stranded Wednesday . . . Brendan Ryan is in an 0-for-17 slide and batting .137. He went 0-for-2 with a walk and and a run scored Wednesday. . . Chone Figgins got a rare start in left Wednesday and went 0-for-3, lowering batting average to .182 . . . Mariners have been shut out five times in 2012 . . . Three former Mariners, Shin-Choo-Soo (3), Asdrubal Cabrera (2) and Jose Lopez (1) combined for six hits Wednesday . . . Felix Hernandez allowed six earned runs Wednesday, second time this season he has allowed six; also April 7 at Oakland . . . Mariners scratched Mike Carp from Wednesday’s game after he complained of stiffness in his right shoulder . . . Mariners 16-23 after 39 games; 16-23 after 39 games in 2011 . . . By the time the Mariners return to Seattle May 21, they will have played 28 road games vs. 15 at home . . . Mariners do not expect OF Franklin Gutierrez to return to the team until at least mid-June.
- SERIES/STREAKS: Series Record: Won 5, split 0, lost 7; Sweeps: 1; Swept: 2. Longest Win Streak: 4 (April 24-27). Longest Losing Streak: 7 (April 28-May 4). Vs. AL East: 2-10; Vs. AL Central: 8-8; Vs. AL West: 6-5.
- BATTING: Mariners rank 12th (AL) in runs (144), 12th in hits (303), eighth in doubles (62), ninth in triples (5) and 10th in home runs (33) . . . Rank 13th in batting average (.232), 14th in on-base percentage (.286), 12th in slugging (.362) and 13th in OPS (.649) . . . batting 68-for-304 (.224) with runners in scoring position after going 0-for-6 Wednesday . . . out-homered 43-33 . . . left 236 men on base, opponents 236 . . .scored 139 runs, opponents 163 . . . scored 77 of 139 runs in the first four innings . . . Mariners 13-5 when scoring 4+ runs . . . Mariners have homered in 14 of last 22 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: Dustin Ackley has Seattle’s longest hitting streak at 12 games (May 3-present). Jesus Montero and Miguel Olivo had eight-game streaks, Montero from March 29-April 14, Olivo from April 22 until he went on DL list May 1 . . . Mariners have 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 (4.07), sixth in hits allowed (316), eighth in runs allowed (163), 11th in home runs allowed (43), fifth in walks (113), seventh in strikeouts (273) . . . 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 Wednesday) has 765 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 97th on career hits list (2,473) and needs 17 to tie No. 96 Fred McGriff . . . 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 15 games in the next 15 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).
- 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) combine for 6 hits in 9-3 Cleveland win;
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-23 | 7-8 | 9-15 | 3-8 | 12-17 | 11-21 | 5-3 | 12-10 | 4-13 |
MARINERS BATTING PROFILE
| Avg. | Home | Road | R | HR | OBP | SLG | OPS | RISP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .232 | .205 | .246 | 139 | 33 | .286 | .362 | .649 | .224 |
MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE
| Rec. | ERA | IP | R | ER | HR | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-23 | 4.07 | 342.1 | 163 | 154 | 43 | .245 | .310 | .402 |
PROBABLE PITCHERS
| Date | Day | Opp. | Probable Pitchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/17 | Thr | at Cle | Hector Noesi (2-4, 6.32) vs. Zach McAllister (1-1, 4.15) |
| 5/18 | Fri | at Col | Kevin Millwood (1-4, 5.09) vs. Alex White (0-2, 6.75) |
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 | W, 6-2 | 16-20 | W: Millwood (1-4); L: Pettitte (0-1) |
| 37 | 5/14 | at Bos | L, 6-1 | 16-21 | L: Lester (2-3); L: Vargas (4-3) |
| 38 | 5/15 | at Bos | L, 5-0 | 16-22 | W: Beckett (3-4); L: Beavan (1-4) |
| 39 | 5/16 | at Cle | L, 9-3 | 16-23 | W: Jimenez (4-3): L: Hernandez (3-3) |
| 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. LAA | — | — | — |
| 48 | 5/25 | vs. LAA | — | — | — |
| 49 | 5/26 | vs. LAA | — | — | — |
| 50 | 5/27 | vs. LAA | — | — | — |
| 51 | 5/28 | at Tex | — | — | — |
| 52 | 5/29 | at Tex | — | — | — |
| 53 | 5/30 | at Tex | — | — | — |