Mariners Look for Third Win
The Seattle Mariners haven’t fared too well against the Oakland Athletics in recent seasons, but their first series of 2007 may have signaled a change.
The Mariners try to post their third win in four tries against the Athletics as the AL West rivals open a two-game series Wednesday night at McAfee Coliseum.
Oddsmakers have made Oakland -140 point spread favorites (MLB Odds) for todays game, the over/under has been set at 8un total runs (View MLB Sports Books). Our public betting information shows that 68% of bets for this game have been placed on Oakland -140 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Seattle (6-9) lost 17 of 19 games against Oakland in 2006, continuing a trend that had seen the Athletics compile a 40-16 record in the series from 2004-06.
However, the Mariners won the first two games against the A’s at Safeco Field to open this season before dropping the series finale 9-0.
Seattle has lost 10 straight games at Oakland (11-9), last winning there on Sept. 6, 2005.
The Mariners’ scheduled game Tuesday at Texas was postponed by rain, their franchise-record sixth game of the season that has been postponed by bad weather.
"You go to the ballpark ready to play, but there’s that lingering fear that the game will be called,” left fielder Raul Ibanez said. "So it’s frustrating. But you’ve got to deal with it. It’s the hand we’ve been dealt. You have to deal with adversity and stay ready to play.”
On Monday, rookie reliever Brandon Morrow recorded his first career win with 3 1-3 scoreless innings and Ichiro Suzuki had a three-run triple as the Mariners ended a six-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the Rangers.
"The team needed this big-time," said closer J.J. Putz, who notched his first save of the season. "This was a big win for us."
Seattle had been outscored 47-26 during the six-game skid, its longest since an 11-game slide from Aug. 10-20 of last season.
Jose Vidro seems to be adjusting very well to his new role as the Mariners’ designated hitter. Vidro, who spent his first 10 seasons playing second base for the Washington-Montreal franchise, is batting .354 (17-for-48) in his last 11 games after opening the season 1-for-15.
Jarrod Washburn (0-2, 4.42 ERA), originally scheduled to start Monday, hopes to avoid losing his third straight start. The left-hander allowed four runs and eight hits over 6 1-3 innings while striking out five in a 6-5 loss to Minnesota last Thursday.
This will be the first road outing of the season for Washburn, who was 2-9 with a 5.88 ERA in 16 games away from home in 2006.
Washburn faced Oakland on April 3, but did not receive a decision in Seattle’s 8-4 victory after yielding two runs and three hits in six innings. He is 7-12 with a 4.07 ERA in 28 career starts against the Athletics.
Dallas Braden continued Oakland’s run of strong starting pitching Tuesday, pitching six innings of three-hit ball to win his major league debut as the Athletics completed a two-game sweep at Baltimore, 4-2.
Oakland starters have yielded three runs or fewer in 18 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the majors since Cleveland starters went 18 straight in 1998.
Joe Blanton (2-0, 4.13) will try to extend the run as he faces the Mariners for the second time this season. Blanton went six innings at Seattle on April 3, allowing four runs and five hits over six innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.
The right-hander had won five consecutive starts against the Mariners before leaving that game without a decision. He is 6-1 with a 2.85 ERA in nine career starts against Seattle.
Oakland’s Nick Swisher could miss this game after he strained his left hamstring running the bases in the first inning Tuesday.
by: Dave Michaels – thespread.com – Email Us
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