GAME: Mariners (18-24, 4th AL West, – 7.5 GB) at Rockies (15-24, 4th, NL West, 11.5 GB). GAME #: 43. SERIES: 3rd of 3 games. MEETING: 3rd (Mariners lead 2-0). WHEN: Sunday, 12:10 p.m., Coors Field, Denver. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Blake Beavan (Seattle, 1-4, 4.58) vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (Colorado, 2-1, 4.85). STREAKS: Mariners W 2; Rockies L 3. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: KIRO 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.
Following two inexplicable wins in Colorado — 3-0 and 10-3 — Friday and Saturday that have already been assigned “pigs fly” status, the Mariners close out their series with Colorado with the opportunity to accomplish a rare sweep (considering the Mariners’ lowly status, Denver’s sports talk show patrons must be irate over such a grim possibility).
Blake Beavan, rocked by the Red Sox in his last start, seeks his second win at the expense of 33-year-old journeyman Jeremy Guthrie, who is 2-5, 3.72 in nine starts against Seattle.
Following the game, the Mariners will jet back to Seattle for a three-game series with Texas Monday, followed by a four-game set with the Los Angeles Angels. But first, Beavan vs. Guthrie, which has not yet attracted Cooperstown’s attention. A closer look:
MARINERS: RHP Blake Beavan (1-4, 4.58 ERA, 1.28 WHIP)
The 23-year-old Beavan, in his second major league season and second with the Mariners, will be making his eighth start and first against the Rockies.
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, will take a career record of 6-10, 4.35 into Sunday’s game at Coors Field.
- LAST START: May 15 at Fenway Park, was the losing pitcher in Seattle’s 5-0 setback to the Red Sox; struck out four, walked two and gave up a home run to David Ortiz.
- LAST VS. ROCKIES: Beavan has never faced the Rockies.
- CAREER VS. ROCKIES: No record.
- AT COORS FIELD: No record.
- LOVES/HATES TO FACE: Beavan has faced two members of the Rockies. Marco Scutaro is 2-for-3 (.667 BA) against him and Michael Cuddyer is 1-for-3 (.333 BA).
- CURRENT ROCKIES VS. BEAVAN: 3-for-6, .500 BA, one double, one strikeout.
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): Losing pitcher in Philip Humbers perfect game at Safeco Field; allowed three runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings; 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 Seattles 9-5 win at Toronto.
- May 2 (L, 1-3): Suffered a 5-4 loss to Tampa after allowing five earned runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings; struck out one, walked two and gave up two home runs (Sean Rodriguez, Luke Scott); threw 86 pitches, 51 for strikes.
- May 7 (ND, 1-3): Took a no-decision in a 3-2 Seattle victory over Detroit; left the game in the third inning when struck by a drive from Miguel Cabrera; allowed one earned run on four hits prior to the injury.
- May 15 (L, 1-4): At Fenway Park, was the losing pitcher in Seattle’s 5-0 setback to the Red Sox; struck out four, walked two.
ROCKIES: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (2-1, 4.85 ERA, 1.44 WHIP)
The 33-year-old Guthrie, in his ninth major league season and first with the Rockies, will be making his sixth start and first against the Mariners.
A native of Roseburg, OR., the 6-1, 205-pound Guthrie pitched for Stanford University before the Cleveland Indians made him the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2002 amateur draft.
Guthrie pitched in the Cleveland system until Aug. 28, 2004, when he made his major league debut in Clevelands 5-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Jacobs Field. He worked one inning and did not factor in the decision.
Guthrie saw limited action with the Indians over the next three seasons. When the Indians waived him Jan. 29, 2007, the Baltimore Orioles selected him.
Between 2007-11, Guthrie won 47 games and lost 65 and twice led the American League in losses, 17 in both 2009 and 2011. He also led the AL in home runs allowed in 2009, yielding 35.
Guthrie had his best season in 2010, going 11-14, 3.83 in 209.1 innings. He has thrown four complete games.
On Feb. 6, the Orioles traded Guthrie to the Rockies for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom.
- 2012: Guthrie worked into the seventh inning in three of five starts. He had his best outing April 22 at Milwaukee when he defeated the Brewers 4-1. Guthrie allowed one earned run on three hits over 7.0 innings. He had two strikeouts and three walks.
- LAST START: May 15 at San Francisco, took a no-decision in a 5-4 victory over the Giants; allowed one earned run on four hits over 4.1 innings; struck out four and walked four while facing 24 batters.
- LAST VS. MARINERS: May 31, 2011, pitching for Baltimore, lost to the Mariners 3-2 in a game won by Chris Ray working in relief of Erik Bedard; allowed two runs on six hits over 6.1 innings; gave up a home run to Justin Smoak.
- CAREER VS. MARINERS: 2-5, 3.72 ERA in nine starts, covering 58.0 innings; has 29 strikeouts to 16 walks; nine home runs.
- AT COORS FIELD: 0-1, 10.45 in two starts, covering 10.1 innings; has twice as many walks (4) as strikeouts (2); two home runs.
- LOVES TO FACE: Casper Wells (0-for-3, .000 BA), John Jaso (3-for-16, .188 BA, 4 Ks), Justin Smoak (2-for-9, .222 BA, 1 K).
- HATES TO FACE: Brendan Ryan (2-for-4, .500 BA), Ichiro (8-for-29, .276 BA, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 RBIs).
- CURRENT MARINERS VS. GUTHRIE: 28-for-103, .272 BA, 3 home runs, 14 strikeouts.
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | 25 | 16 | .610 | — | 11-9 | 14-7 | 5-5 | Lost 1 |
| Athletics | 20 | 21 | .488 | 5.0 | 9-10 | 11-11 | 4-6 | Lost 2 |
| Angels | 18 | 23 | .439 | 7.0 | 11-10 | 7-13 | 5-5 | Lost 1 |
| Mariners | 18 | 24 | .429 | 7.5 | 7-8 | 11-16 | 4-6 | Won 2 |
MARINERS / STATS NOTES
- CURRENT ROAD TRIP: Three in New York, two in Boston, two in Cleveland, three in Colorado.
- MARINERS VS. ROCKIES: Mariners 15-12 all-time vs. the Rockies, including 6-7 at Coors Field. Mariners last played the Rockies at Coors Field in 2009, losing all three. Seattle has never swept a three-game series at Coors Field.
- LATEST: Mariners are 3-6 on 10-game road trip after winning the past two . . . Mariners started the season winning eight of first 12 on the road, but are 3–12 since April 28 . . . Mariners scored 10 runs Saturday , but have scored two or fewer runs in 15 of 42 games . . . Mariners are 2-0 in interleague play and have posted at least a .500 record in such games for 12 consecutive seasons . . . Kyle Seager, who had a home run and three RBIs Saturday, has at least one RBI in nine of last 16 games . . . With Jason Vargas’ hit Saturday, Mariners pitchers are 1-for-6 in interleague play . . . Every Seattle starter with the exception of Alex Liddi (0-for-5) had at least one hit Saturday . . . Over their past 15 road games, the Mariners are 15-for-112 (.140) with runners in scoring position. . . C Miguel Olivo, on the DL since May 1, is expected to begin a rehab assignment with AAA Tacoma Monday . . . After today, the Mariners 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 6, split 0, lost 8; 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: 8-9; Vs. AL West: 6-5; Vs NL West: 2-0.
- BATTING: Mariners rank 11th (AL) in runs (158), 12th in hits (333), eighth in doubles (68), first in triples (8) and ninth in home runs (35) . . . Rank 13th in batting average (.234), 13th in on-base percentage (.290), 13th in slugging (.367) and 13th in OPS (.658) . . . batting 77-for-338 (.228) with runners in scoring position after going 6-for-10 Saturday . . . out-homered 45-35 . . . left 258 men on base, opponents 255 . . .scored 158 runs, opponents 172 . . . scored 85 of 158 runs in the first four innings . . . Mariners 15-6 when scoring 4+ runs . . . Mariners have homered in 16 of last 25 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 13 consecutive games (May 3-17). Jesus Montero and Miguel Olivo had eight-game hitting 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); Walk-Off Losses: May 17, at Cleveland, Carlos Santana bases-loaded single off League in 11th.
- PITCHING: Mariners rank eighth in ERA (3.98), fifth in hits allowed (333), eighth in runs allowed (172), 11th in home runs allowed (45), seventh in walks (124), seventh in strikeouts (293) . . . Felix Hernandez has 17 career no-decisions while throwing 7.0 or more innings and allowing one or fewer runs . . . Closer Brandon League is 0-3 with two blown saves.
- ICHIRO (1-for-5 Saturday) has 766 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 (2,476) and needs 14 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 10 games in the next 10 days. Their next day off is May 31 . . . Mariners have three more bobblehead nights: Saturday (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; May 17, Casey Kotchman (2), Cabrera (2), Jose Lopez (1), Choo (1) six of Cleveland’s 10 hits, plus 5 RBIs, in a 6-5 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.
- May 8: Kevin Millwood’s 2-0 shutout marked his first in nearly nine years. He did not surrender his first hit two were out in the sixth. Millwood’s gem marked only the fourth time in 1,440 games at Coors Field that an opposing pitcher held the Rockies to two hits or less in a a shutout. Millwood’s complete game also was the first by a Mariner in 2012.
MARINERS WON-LOSS BREAKDOWN
| Rec. | Home | Road | Day | Night | vs. RHP | vs. LHP | Hit HR | No HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-24 | 7-8 | 11-16 | 4-9 | 13-17 | 12-22 | 6-3 | 14-10 | 4-14 |
MARINERS BATTING PROFILE
| Avg. | Home | Road | R | HR | OBP | SLG | OPS | RISP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .234 | .205 | .248 | 158 | 33 | .290 | .367 | .658 | .228 |
MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE
| Rec. | ERA | IP | R | ER | HR | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-24 | 3.98 | 370.2 | 172 | 163 | 45 | .240 | .307 | .392 |
PROBABLE PITCHERS
| Date | Day | Opp. | Probable Pitchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/20 | Sun | at Col | Blake Beavan (1-4, 4.58) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (2-1, 4.85) |
| 5/21 | Mon | vs. Tex | Felix Hernandez (3-3, 3.02) vs. Yu Darvish (6-1, 2.60) |
| 5/22 | Tue | vs. Tex | Hector Noesi (2-4, 5.61) vs. Matt Harrison (4-3, 5.21) |
| 5/23 | Wed | vs. Tex | Kevin Millwood (2-4, 4.17) vs. Neftali Feliz (3-1, 3.16) |
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 | L, 6-5 | 16-24 | W: Smith (4-1); L: League (0-3) |
| 41 | 5/18 | at Col | W, 4-0 | 17-24 | W: Millwood (2-4); L: White (0-3) |
| 42 | 5/19 | at Col | W, 10-3 | 18-24 | W: Vargas (5-3); L: Friedrich (1-1) |
| 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 | — | — | — |