GAME: Mariners (8-10, 3rd AL West, – 6.0 GB) at Tigers (10-7, T1, AL Central,). GAME #: 19. SERIES: 2nd of 3 games. MEETING (2012): 2nd (Mariners lead 1-0). WHEN: Wednesday, 4:05 p.m., Comerica Park. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Felix Hernandez (1-1, 2.76) vs. LHP Adam Wilk (0-0, 4.00). STREAKS: Mariners W1; Tigers L2. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: KIRO 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.
Having snapped a season-high four-game losing streak, the Mariners will summon ace Felix Hernandez to the mound Wednesday in Detroit, where the usually feeble-hitting Mariners love to bat. They had a season-high 15 hits Tuesday (plus seven runs) in their 7-4 victory as an encore to banging an AL-high 10 home runs at Comerica Park in 2011.
After Seattle concludes the three-game series in Detroit Thursday, the Mariners will launch a three-game set in Toronto before heading to Tampa for a four-game series there.
Hernandez will oppose 24-year-old Adam Wilk, who has yet to win this season and who has never started against the Mariners. A closer look at Wednesday’s probables.
MARINERS: RHP Felix Hernandez (1-1, 2.76 ERA, 1.02 WHIP)
The 25-year-old Hernandez, in his eighth major league season, all with the Mariners, will be making his fifth start of the season and his first against the Tigers.
A native of Valencia, VZ., the 6-3, 230-pound Hernandez was signed as a non-drafted free agent July 4, 2002 by Seattle scout Bob Engle.
He made his major league debut Aug. 4, 2005, absorbing a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers, in a game in which Hernandez allowed one earned run and fanned four. He is a two-time American League All-Star (2009, 2011) and won the AL Cy Young award in 2010, when he went 13-12 with a 2.27 ERA.
Hernandez has a career mark of 86-68, 3.23 ERA, and a career batting average against of .242.
- LAST START: April 19 vs. Cleveland, received a no-decision but turned in a gem, allowing no earned runs on five hits over 8 innings with 12 strikeouts and just one walk; threw 126 pitches, 96 for strikes; 16th career no-decision while pitching at least 7 innings and allowing one of fewer runs.
- LAST VS. TIGERS: June 12 at Comerica Park, defeated Detroit 7-3, running record to 7-5; allowed three runs on nine hit over 8 innings, striking out six while walking five; threw 126 pitches, 76 for strikes.
- CAREER VS. TIGERS: 11 starts; 8-2 record with a 2.79 ERA covering 71 innings; has whiffed 9.1 Tigers per 9 IP; has allowed the Tigers just one home run.
- AT COMERICA PARK: Six starts and has a 1-1 record with a 3.32 ERA covering 32 innings; averages 8.3 strikeouts per 9 at Comerica (made his major league debut at Comerica in 2005).
- LOVES TO FACE: Ryan Raburn (0-for-6, .000 BA), Ramon Santiago (1-for-15, .067 BA), Brennan Boesch (1-for-7, .143 BA), Delmon Young (3-for-15, .200 BA), Brandon Inge (4-for-19, .211 BA, 7 K’s),
- HATES TO FACE: Miguel Cabrera (9-for-18, .500 BA); Gerald Laird (6-for-20, .300 BA), Victor Martinez (5-for-17, .278 BA).
Felix in 2012
- March 28 (ND, 0-0): Pitched well enough to win season debut, but the Mariners and As battled through a 1-1 tie until the 11th when Seattle pushed across two runs to win 3-1, a Tokyo Dome contest that featured a home run and two RBIs by Dustin Ackley and a 4-for-5 performance by Ichiro.
- April 7: (W, 1-0): Didnt have best stuff allowed six earned runs on eight hits over 6.1 IP but the Mariners, banging 13 hits, 3 by Chone Figgins, staked him to a 6-0 lead.
- April 13 (L, 1-1): Allowed two earned runs on seven hits over 7 IP, but lost to Bartolo Colon and the Oakland As 4-0; fanned six and walked two in a 107-pitch effort that included 69 strikes; had an equal number of ground ball and fly ball outs, 10.
TIGERS: LHP Adam Wilk (0-2, 4.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP)
The 24-year-old Wilk, in his second major league season, both with the Tigers, will be making his third start of the season and first against the Mariners.
A native of Anaheim, the 6-2, 180-pound Wilk was selected by the Tigers in the 11th round of the 2009 amateur draft after pitching at Cal State Long Beach.
Wilk began his pro career at Oneonta in the New York-Penn League in 2009 and pitched for West Michigan (2009) of the Midwest League, Lakeland of the Florida League (2010), Erie of the Eastern League (2010) and Toledo of the International League (2011).
He made his major league debut May 26 in a 14-1 Detroit loss to Boston at Comerica Park, working 3.2 innings of one-run relief.
Wilk made five starts for the Tigers in 2011 (13.1 IP) and did not record a decision. He spent the majority of the season in the minors with AAA Toledo. Wilk has yet to win a major league game.
- 2012: Two starts, lost both with an ERA of 4.00. On April 14, he allowed two earned runs on three hits in 5 innings; faced 19 batters and allowed a pair of home runs in a 5-1 loss to the White Sox.
- LAST START: Lasted just 4 innings against Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers April 19, allowing three earned runs, including a homer, in a 10-3 loss at Comerica Park.
- LAST/ CAREER VS. MARINERS: Wilk never started against Seattle, but made one relief appearance June 12 when he allowed two runs on two hits in 1 inning of a game won by Hernandez 7-3 (Miguel Olivo banged two home runs and Justin Smoak hit a two-run shot).
- AT COMERICA PARK: Has pitched three times, 8.2 innings; has an 0-1 record with a 4.15 ERA; has given up two home runs.
- LOVES/HATES TO FACE: Three Mariners faced Wilk. Ichiro and Justin Smoak are 1-for-1 against him, Smoaks hit a two-run homer.
- CURRENT MARINERS VS. WILK: 2-for-3, .667 BA, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 0 Ks, 0 BB.
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | 14 | 4 | .778 | — | 6-3 | 8-1 | 8-2 | Won 1 |
| Athletics | 9 | 10 | .474 | 5.5 | 5-7 | 4-3 | 5-5 | Won 1 |
| Mariners | 8 | 10 | .444 | 6.0 | 3-6 | 5-4 | 4-6 | Won 1 |
| Angels | 6 | 11 | .353 | 7.5 | 4-6 | 2-5 | 4-6 | Lost 2 |
MARINERS / STATS NOTES
- Seattle’s 15 hits Tuesday, including three each by Ichiro and Alex Liddi, marked a season high. Every Mariner got at least one hit except Chone Figgins, who went 0-for-3 but walked twice.
- Alex Liddi’s three hits Tuesday, which included a home run, marked his major league high. Prior to Tuesday, Liddi only had one two-hit game.
- Catcher Miguel Olivo matched the franchise record Tuesday when he was charged with three passed balls. 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).
- After Tuesday’s 7-4 win, the Mariners are 168-197 all-time against the Tigers, including 74-111 in Detroit.
- Seattle last swept a three-game series at Comerica April 26-28, 2011, getting wins from Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Michael Pineda; Mariners outscored the Tigers in 2011, 54-37.
- Detroit has not swept a three-game series from Seattle at Comerica Park since 2008.
- Ichiro, who had three hits Tuesday, is a career .325 (135×416) hitter against Detroit and a .353 hitter at Comerica Park (three home runs).
- After 18 games, the Mariners rank 13th in the AL in batting average (.233), 13th in on-base percentage (.284), 13th in slugging (.353) and 13th in OPS (.636).
- Through 18 games, the Mariners are batting 36-for-147 (.245) with runners in scoring position; they went 6-for-19 Tuesday (.316).
- Through 18 games, the Mariners have been out-homered 20–12.
- Through 18 games, the Mariners have left 100 men on base, their opponents 109.
- Through 18 games, the Mariners have scored 67 runs, their opponents 76.
- Chone Figgins (0-for-3 Tuesday) leads the Mariners with 59 outs.
- Ichiro (3-for-5 Tuesday) has 758 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.
- 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.
- Felix Hernandez has 16 career no-decisions while throwing 7 or more innings and allowing one or fewer runs.
- The Mariners have four bases-loaded walks (Kawasaki, Ryan, Montero, Smoak), which leads the American League and is tied (w/SD) for the MLB lead. The Mariners had 13 bases loaded walks last season, T2nd in the AL.
- 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.
- Two Mariners, Ichiro (March 28 in Tokyo vs. Oakland) and Justin Smoak (April 17 vs. Cleveland) have four-hit games in 2012.
- Jesus Montero owns Seattle’s longest hitting streak of 2012: eight games, from March 29-April 14.
- The Mariners have been shut out three times in 2012 (April 10 at Texas, April 13 vs Oakland, April 21 vs. Chicago).
- 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 2, split 0, lost 3; Sweeps: 0; Swept: 1
- Longest Win Streak: 2 (April 6-7, April 14-15).
- Longest Losing Streak: 4 (April 19-22).
MARINERS WON-LOSS BREAKDOWN
| Rec. | Home | Road | Day | Night | vs. RHP | vs. LHP | Hit HR | No HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-10 | 3-6 | 5-4 | 0-3 | 8-7 | 8-7 | 0-3 | 6-4 | 2-6 |
MARINERS BATTING PROFILE
| Avg. | Home | Road | R | HR | OBP | SLG | OPS | RISP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .233 | .195 | .267 | 67 | 12 | .284 | .353 | .636 | .245 |
MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE
| Rec. | ERA | IP | R | ER | HR | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-10 | 4.16 | 160.0 | 76 | 73 | 21 | .244 | .300 | .396 |
PROBABLE PITCHERS
| Date | Day | Opp. | Probable Pitchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/25 | Wed | at Det | Fernandez (1-1, 2.76) vs. Wilk (0-2, 4.00) |
| 4/26 | Thr | at Det | Noesi (1-2, 9.49) vs. Porcello (1-0, 1.84) |
| 4/27 | Fri | at Tor | Beavan (1-2, 3.26) vs. Romero (3-0, 3.29) |
| 4/28 | Sat | at Tor | Millwood (0-1, 7.04) vs. Morrow (1-1, 3.71) |
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 | — | — | — |
| 20 | 4/26 | at Det | — | — | — |
| 21 | 4/27 | at Tor | — | — | — |
| 22 | 4/28 | at Tor | — | — | — |
| 23 | 4/29 | at Tor | — | — | — |
| 24 | 4/30 | at TB | — | — | — |