GAME: Mariners (16-24, 4th AL West, – 8.5 GB) at Rockies (15-22, 4th, NL West, 9.5 GB). GAME #: 41. SERIES: 1st of 3 games. MEETING: 1st. WHEN: Friday, 5:40 p.m., Coors Field, Denver. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Kevin Millwood (Seattle, 1-4, 5.09) vs. RHP Alex White (Colorado, 0-2, 6.75). STREAKS: Mariners L 4; Rockies L 1. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: KIRO 710 (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.
With a 1-6 record on their 10-game road trip, the Mariners are not in the midst of the worst road junket in franchise history, but their batting average — .095 (5-for-52), including 2-for-18 Thursday — with runners in scoring position sure makes it seem like they are.
For the record, the Mariners have had two 0-11 road trips, Aug. 10-20, 2006, and Sept. 11-21, 2008. The way the Mariners haven’t been hitting — or pitching — a 1-10 looms likely.
The eighth game of his traveling fiasco Friday is in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. Coors Field is a hitter’s park and the Rockies are a sub.-500 team, but these, after all, are the Mariners, who botched 4-0 and 5-4 leads Thursday in a 6-5, 11-inning loss at Cleveland.
To avert a fifth consecutive loss, the Mariners will dispatch Kevin Millwood (1-4, 5.09) to the mound to take on Alex White (0-2, 6.75). A closer look:
MARINERS: RHP Kevin Millwood (1-4, 5.09 ERA, 1.59 WHIP)
In his 16th major league season and first with the Mariners, Millwood is making his eighth start and first against the Rockies, the team Millwood played for in 2011.
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 will take career record of 164-144, 4.12 ERA into Friday’s game at Coors Field.
- LAST START: May 13 at Yankee Stadium, won his first game as a Mariner by beating New York and Andy Pettitte 6-2; allowed just one earned run on three hits over 7.0 innings; struck out six, walked four; threw 90 pitches, 55 for strikes.
- LAST VS. ROCKIES: June 16, 2005, pitching for Cleveland, defeated Colorado 7-2 at Jacobs Field; allowed four hits and no runs in 5.0 innings; struck out five and walked two in an 85-pitch effort that featured 59 strikes.
- CAREER VS. ROCKIES: 8-3, 3, 3.30 ERA in 15 games, including 14 starts covering 87.1 innings; has 63 strikeouts to 27 walks; nine home runs.
- AT COORS FIELD: 4-4, 4.95 in 11 games, all starts, covering 67.1 innings; averages 6.0 strikeouts per nine innings; has given up 11 home runs.
- LOVES TO FACE: Marco Scutaro (4-for-28, .143 BA), Ramon Hernandez (3-for-20, .150 BA).
- HATES TO FACE: Michael Cuddyer (12-for-28, .429 BA, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs), Jason Giambi (8-for-19, .421 BA, 3 HRs), Todd Helton (11-for-34, .324 BA, 2 HRs, 8 BBs).
- CURRENT ROCKIES VS. MILLWOOD: 40-for-131, .305 BA, 7 HRs, 24 RBIs, 20 strikeouts.
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.
- May 13 (W, 1-4): Won his first game as a Mariner by beating New York; allowed just one earned run on three hits over 7.0 innings; struck out six, walked four; threw 90 pitches, 55 for strikes.
ROCKIES: RHP Alex White (0-2, 6.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP)
The 23-year-old White, in his second major league season and second with the Rockies, makes his third start of and first against the Mariners.
A native of Greenville, NC., the 6-3, 215-pound White pitched for the University of North Carolina and was selected by the Cleveland Indians in first round (15th pick) of the 2009 amateur draft.
White pitched in the Cleveland system until April 30, 2011, when he made his major league debut in Clevelands 3-2 victory over Detroit at Progressive Field. He allowed two runs on six hits in 6.0 innings, but did not factor in the decision.
On July 30, 2011, the Indians traded White with a player to be named later, Joseph Gardner (minors) and Matt McBride (minors) to the Colorado Rockies for Ubaldo Jimenez.
White compiled a 3-4 record and 7.01 ERA split between Cleveland and Colorado in 2011. He notched his first major league win May 7, 2011, defeating Jered Weaver and the Los Angeles 4-3.
- 2012: White began the season with the Rockies AAA affiliate, Colorado Springs of the Pacific Coast League. He compiled a 1-3 record with a 2.92 ERA. Recalled by Colorado, White made his 2012 MLB debut May 8, losing to Jeff Suppan and the San Diego Padres 3-1.
- LAST START: May 13 at Dodger Stadium, lost to the Dodgers and Ted Lilly 11-5; raked for six earned runs on six hits over 4.1 innings; struck out one and walked three.
- LAST VS. MARINERS: Never pitched.
- CAREER VS. MARINERS: No record.
- AT COORS FIELD: 1-1, 9.18 in three games, all starts, covering 16.2 innings; prone to giving up homers at Coors: has allowed nine to 78 batters.
- LOVES/HATES TO FACE: No record.
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | 24 | 15 | .615 | — | 11-9 | 13-6 | 5-5 | Lost 1 |
| Athletics | 20 | 19 | .513 | 4.0 | 9-10 | 11-9 | 5-5 | Won 1 |
| Angels | 17 | 22 | .436 | 7.0 | 11-10 | 6-12 | 5-5 | Lost 1 |
| Mariners | 16 | 24 | .400 | 8.5 | 7-8 | 9-16 | 3-7 | Lost 4 |
MARINERS / STATS NOTES
- CURRENT ROAD TRIP: Three in New York, two in Boston, two in Cleveland, three in Colorado (Friday-Sunday).
- MARINERS VS. ROCKIES: Mariners 13-13 all-time vs. the Rockies, including 4-8 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 1-6 on 10-game road trip . . . Mariners started the season winning eight of first 12 on the road, but are 1-12 since April 28 . . . Mariners scored five times Thursday, but have scored two or fewer runs in 15 of 40 games . . . Dustin Ackley, 1-for-5 Thursday, extended hitting streak to 13 games, longest by a Mariner in 2012 . . . Over their past 13 road games, the Mariners are 8-for-96 (.083) with runners in scoring position. Ichiro left three stranded as he went 0-for-6 . . . Brendan Ryan busted out of an 0-for-17 slide with two hits and two walks, and hiked his batting average from .137 to .153 . . . Four former Mariners, Asdrubal Cabrera (2), Casey Kotchman (2) Shin-Choo-Soo (1) and Jose Lopez (1) combined for six of Cleveland’s 10 hits and five RBIs Thursday . . . Alex Liddi received his first start in left field Thursday and went 0-for-4 with three K’s . . . Mariners 16-24 after 40 games; 17-23 after 40 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 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.
- BATTING: Mariners rank 11th (AL) in runs (144), 12th in hits (311), eighth in doubles (65), ninth in triples (5) and 11th in home runs (33) . . . Rank 13th in batting average (.230), 14th in on-base percentage (.287), 13th in slugging (.359) and 13th in OPS (.646) . . . batting 70-for-322 (.217) with runners in scoring position after going 2-for-18 Wednesday . . . out-homered 44-33 . . . left 247 men on base, opponents 249 . . .scored 144 runs, opponents 169 . . . scored 78 of 144 runs in the first four innings . . . Mariners 13-6 when scoring 4+ runs . . . Mariners have homered in 14 of last 23 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-present). 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 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); Walk-Off Losses: May 17, at Cleveland, Carlos Santana bases-loaded single off League in 11th.
- PITCHING: Mariners rank eighth in ERA (4.11), sixth in hits allowed (326), eighth in runs allowed (169), 11th in home runs allowed (44), eighth in walks (121), sixth in strikeouts (283) . . . 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 (0-for-6 Thursday) 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 14 games in the next 14 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; 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.
MARINERS WON-LOSS BREAKDOWN
| Rec. | Home | Road | Day | Night | vs. RHP | vs. LHP | Hit HR | No HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-24 | 7-8 | 9-16 | 3-9 | 12-17 | 11-22 | 5-3 | 12-10 | 4-14 |
MARINERS BATTING PROFILE
| Avg. | Home | Road | R | HR | OBP | SLG | OPS | RISP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .230 | .205 | .243 | 144 | 33 | .287 | .359 | .646 | .217 |
MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE
| Rec. | ERA | IP | R | ER | HR | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-24 | 4.11 | 352.2 | 169 | 160 | 44 | .245 | .313 | .401 |
PROBABLE PITCHERS
| Date | Day | Opp. | Probable Pitchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/18 | Fri | at Col | Kevin Millwood (1-4, 5.09) vs. Alex White (0-2, 6.75) |
| 5/19 | Sat | at Col | Jason Vargas (4-3, 3.28) vs. Christian Friedrich (1-0, 1.38) |
| 5/20 | Sun | at Col | Blake Beavan (1-4, 4.58) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (2-1, 4.85) |
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 | — | — | — |
| 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 | — | — | — |