#127: Mariners seek recovery after heartbreak

GAME: Mariners (61-65, 4th, AL West, – 13.5 GB) at White Sox (69-55, 1st, AL Central, + 2.5 GA). GAME #: 127. SERIES: 2nd of 3 games. MEETING: 8th (White Sox lead 6-1). WHEN: Saturday, 4:10 p.m., U.S. Cellular Field. PROBABLE PITCHERS: RHP Blake Beavan (Seattle, 8-7, 5.00) vs. Jose Quintana (Chicago, 5-2, 2.76. STREAKS: Mariners L 1; White Sox W 4. TV: ROOT Sports, MLB TV. RADIO: ESPN 710-AM (Seattle), Mariners Radio Network.

Reflecting on Seattle’s wild, 9-8 walk-off loss to the White Sox Friday night, manager Eric Wedge elected not to dwell on his team’s 65th defeat of the season, or the 22nd loss in 26 games to Chicago, but on the remarkable, six-run ninth-inning rally against the AL Central leaders when winning seemed out of the question.

“It was a great comeback for our guys,” said Wedge. “That’s what I’m thinking about right now. The fight of our position players and what they did to come back was an unbelievable effort.”

The Mariners entered the ninth trailing 7-2 but battled back for an 8-7 lead. After Chicago tied it at 8, the Mariners lost on a fluke: Seattle right fielder Eric Thames caught a Paul Kornerko drive to right center, but collided with center fielder Michael Saunders. The ball popped out of Thames’ glove, allowing the winning run to score.

“It was good because we didn’t quit,” said left fielder Trayvon Robinson, whose 3-for-4 included his first home run of the season. “We went and played every last out we could in this game. We didn’t get the win, but a lot of good things happened. And we’re just going to keep going, just feeding off what we did today.”

The Marinerslget going Saturday with RHP Blake Beavan seeking to build on the 5-1 record he has compiled since his July 17 recall from AAA Tacoma. Beavan will oppose Jose Quintana, who has given up just two earned runs in each of his past three starts, although he has only one win to show for it. A closer look:

MARINERS: RHP Blake Beavan (8-7, 5.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)

The 23-year-old Beavan, in his second major league season and second with the Mariners, makes his 20th start and second against the White Sox. Beavan suffered a 4-0 loss to Chicago April 21 in his third start of the season and is coming off a 5-1 win over Minnesota Aug. 19 at Safeco Field. Beavan is 5-1 since his July 17 recall from AAA Tacoma.

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 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 had 15 starts for the Mariners in 2011, compiled a 5-6 record, and has a career mark of 12-13, 4.73 ERA.

• LAST START: Aug. 19 at Safeco Field, defeated Minnesota 5-1; one earned run on seven hits in 5.1 innings; three strikeouts to one walk; 97 pitches, 72 for strikes.
• LAST VS. WHITE SOX: April 21, lost 4-0; three earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings; one strikeout, one walk, one home run; 101 pitches, 70 for strikes.
• CAREER VS. WHITE SOX: 0-1, 4.50 ERA in one start, 1.17 WHIP.
• AT SAFECO FIELD: 8-7, 4.64 ERA in 18 starts covering 108.0 innings; 48 strikeouts to 18 walks; 18 home runs; 4.0 strikeouts per nine innings.
• LOVES TO FACE: Adam Dunn (0-for-3, .000 BA), Alexei Ramirez (0-for-3, .000 BA), Kevin Youkilis (0-for-3, .000 BA).
• HATES TO FACE: Paul Konerko (2-for-3, .667 BA), Alex Rios (1-for-2, .500 BA), Gordon Beckham (1-for-2, .500 BA).
• CURRENT WHITE SOX VS. BEAVAN: 7-for-28, .250 BA, one home run, two strikeouts.

Beavan / 2012

• April 12 (L, 0-1): Worked 6.1 innings; one earned run, but couldn’t 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): Loser in Philip Humber’s perfect game at Safeco Field; three runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings; one home run among his 101 pitches, 70 for strikes.
• April 27 (ND, 1-2): Gave up three earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings, taking a no-decision in Seattle’s 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; 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; struck out four, walked two.
• May 20 (W, 2-4): At Coors Field, defeated the Rockies 6-4; two runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings; struck out seven, walked one and allowed one home run; threw 82 pitches, 52 for strikes.
• May 25 (ND, 2-4): At Safeco Field, lost to the Angels 6-4; three earned runs on five hits over 7.0 innings; struck out one, walked two; one home run; fifth quality start of the season.
• May 30 (W, 3-4): At Texas, was the winning pitcher in 21-8 win; five earned runs on eight hits in 6.0 innings; struck out two, walked none.
• June 5 (L, 3-5): At Texas, lost 6-1 after allowing six earned runs on 10 hits in 5.0 innings; struck out two and walked one and surrendered a season-high three home runs.
• June 10 (L, 3-6): vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, lost 8-2; six earned runs on five hits in 2.0 innings; no strikeouts, two walks; one home run; demoted to Tacoma after the loss.
• July 17 (W, 4-6): At Kansas City, won 9-6; five earned runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings; struck out three, did not walk a batter or allow a home run; 94 pitches, 58 for strikes.
• July 22 (W, 5-6): At Tampa Bay, defeated the Rays 2-1; one earned run on four hits in 8.0 innings; struck out five and did not walk a batter; threw 101 pitches, 70 for strikes.
• July 27 (W, 6-6): Vs. Kansas City, defeated the Royals 6-1; one earned run on four hits over 6.2 innings; struck out six, walked one, no home runs.
• Aug. 1 (W, 7-6): Vs. Toronto, won 5-1; three earned runs on seven hits in 7.2 innings; four strikeouts, two walks, two home runs; 82 pitches, 64 for strikes.
• Aug. 7 (ND, 7-6): At Baltimore, took a no-decision in Seattle’s 8-7 loss; four earned runs on seven hits over 4.0 innings; two strikeouts, one walk, two home runs; 104 pitches, 69 for strikes.
• Aug. 13 (L, 7-7): At Safeco Field, lost to Tampa Bay 4-1; four earned runs on eight hits over 6.0 innings; four strikeouts and no walks, one home run; 97 pitches, 63 strikes.
• Aug. 19  (W, 8-7): At Safeco Field, defeated Minnesota 5-1; one earned run on seven hits in 5.1 innings; three strikeouts to one walk; 97 pitches, 72 for strikes.

WHITE SOX: Jose Quintana (5-2, 2.76, 1.16 WHIP)

The 23-year-old Quintana, in his first year in the majors, makes his 15th start and first against the Mariners. He pitched 0.2 innings of relief against Seattle June 2 and did not factor in the decision. Quintana is coming off a 5-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals Aug. 19 at Kauffman Stadium.

A native of Arjona, Colombia, the 6-0, 215-pounder signed with the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 2006. Released a year later, Quintana signed with the Yankees and stayed with that organization until 2010 when he was granted free agency. Quintana signed with the White as a free agent Nov. 9, 2011.

Quintana made his major league debut May 7 in an 8-6 loss to the Cleveland Indians. He pitched 5.2 innings of relief but did not factor in the decision. He made his first start May 25 against Cleveland and earned his first major league victory, a 9-3 decision.

• 2012: Quintana has worked into the seventh inning nine times and has allowed three or fewer earned runs 11 times. While he has won four of his past five decisions, he also has seven no-decisions since June 16.
• LAST START: Aug. 19 at Kansas City, took a no-decision in Chicago’s 5-2 loss; two earned runs on nine hits in 7.0 innings; four strikeouts to two walks; 110 pitches, 61 for strikes.
• LAST VS. MARINERS: June 2 at U.S. Cellular Field, did not factor in the decision, a 10-8 Seattle victory; recorded two outs in relief, did not allow a hit.
• CAREER VS. MARINERS: One relief appearance.
• AT U.S. CELLULAR FIELD: 2-2, 2.36 ERA in seven games, including  six starts, covering 42.0 innings; 23 strikeouts to eight walks; 4.9 strikeouts per nine innings; five home runs.

AL WEST STANDINGS

MARINERS / STATS NOTES

• CURRENT ROAD TRIP: Three at Chicago White Sox Friday-Sunday, four at Minnesota Twins Monday-Thursday.
• MARINERS VS. WHITE SOX: Mariners 181-218 all-time vs. the White Sox, including 43-71 at U.S. Cellular Field. Mariners played a three-game series vs. Chicago at Safeco Field April 20-22 and were swept; played a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field June 1-3 and lost two. Mariners last swept a three-game series at Chicago May 2-4, 2003. White Sox last swept Seattle in Chicago April 23-25, 2010.
• LOG: Mariners have nine walk-off losses and missed a chance for their first nine-game winning streak since the 2003 season . . . Mariners have lost 22 of last 26 games to the White Sox . . . Seattle lost for just the second time in 13 games . . . Jason Vargas worked just four innings, his shortest stint of the season . . . Vargas allowed three homers, two to Adam Dunn, and surrendered a career-high 29 . . . Despite the loss, the Mariners remain tied with Oakland for the best record since the All-Star break at 25-14 . . . OF Franklin Gutierrez played DH in a AAA rehab game with Tacoma Friday and is expected to play in the field Saturday . . . Due to conflicts with Seahawks football coverage, three  Mariners games will be broadcast on KTTH 770-AM instead of 710 ESPN Seattle: Sept. 9, 16 and 30.
• SEASON SUMMARY: Series Record: Won 18, Split 2, Lost 21 . . . Sweeps: 6; Swept: 4 . . . Longest Win Streak: 8 (Aug. 15-21); Longest Losing Streak: 7 (April 28-May 4) . . . Vs. AL East: 14-23; vs. AL Central: 21-13; vs. AL West: 17-19; vs. LAA: 4-6; vs. Oak: 7-6; vs. Tex: 6-7; vs. NL West: 8-10; vs. Interleague: 8-10 . . . Biggest Lead: 1.0, April 7; Farthest Behind: 17.5, July 15 . . . Most Runs Scored: 21, May 30 at Texas (21-8); Most Runs Allowed: 11, April 9 at Texas . . . Walk-Off Wins: 6, May 7, first since Sept. 14, 2011 vs. New York, and first via a sacrifice fly (John Jaso) since Sept. 14, 2007 vs. Tampa Bay (Jose Guillen); June 17 vs. San Francisco (Justin Smoak ninth-inning single); June 28 vs. Boston (Jaso ph ninth-inning single); June 30 vs. Boston (Chone Figgins sacrifice fly 11th inning); Aug. 14, vs. Tampa, Eric Thames ninth-inning single scored Figgins; Aug. 18 vs. Minnesota, John Jaso sacrifice fly in ninth inning . . . Walk-Off Losses: 9, April 30 at Tampa Bay, Elliott Johnson, RBI single in 12th off Brandon League; May 17, at Cleveland, Carlos Santana bases-loaded single off League in 11th; July 6, at Oakland, Chris Carter 3-run walk-off homer off Steve Delabar; July 7, at Oakland, Josh Reddick run-scoring double off Oliver Perez in 13th; July 18, at Kansas City, Billy Butler, home run off Josh Kinney in bottom 9th; July 20, at Tampa Bay, Ben Zobrist double off Tom Wilhelmsen in bottom 14th; Aug. 7, Adam Jones 14th-inning single off Shawn Kelley in bottom 14th; Aug. 10, Josh Kinney wild pitched in the winning run (Bourjos) with the bases loaded in the ninth inning at Anaheim; Aug. 24, Paul Konerko double in ninth off Wilhelmsen . . . Times Opponent Shut out: 8; Times Shut out by Opponent: 11; Comeback Wins: 16; Largest Comeback: 3; Blown Leads: 31; Largest Comeback: 3.
• BATTING: Mariners rank 14th (AL) in runs (499), 12th in hits (994), 13th in doubles (188), seventh in triples (22) and 12th in home runs (111) . . . Rank 13th in batting average (.233), 14th in on-base percentage (.295), 14th in slugging (.366) and 14th in OPS (.660) . . . batting 231-for-928 (.249) with runners in scoring position after going 3-for-6 Friday . . . Batting Average: John Jaso, .287; Hits: Kyle Seager, 112; Runs: Dustin Ackley, 68; Home Runs: Justin Smoak, Michael Saunders, Jesus Montero, 14; RBIs: Kyle Seager, 70 . . Batted around seven times: April 7 at Oakland (4th inning), April 9 at Texas (1st), April 17 vs. Cleveland (4th), May 29 at Texas (8th), May 30 at Texas (2nd and 3rd), Aug. 24 at Chicago (9th).
• BATTING EXTRA: Longest Hitting Streak: Dustin Ackley, 13 games, May 3-17 . . . Four-Hit Games: Ichiro, March 28 vs. Oakland; Justin Smoak, April 17 vs. Cleveland; Jesus Montero, May 1 at Tampa; Kyle Seager, May 30 at Texas; Michael Saunders, June 2, at Chicago; Ichiro, June 19 at Arizona; Franklin Gutierrez, June 22 at San Diego . . .  Grand Slams (2): Michael Saunders, April 27 at Toronto; Alex Liddi, May 23 vs. Texas . . . Back-To-Back Home Runs (2): Jesus Montero, Justin Smoak, 3rd inning, May 20, at Colorado; Miguel Olivo, Dustin Ackley, 8th inning, July 2, vs. Baltimore.
• PITCHING: Mariners third in ERA (3.72), second in hits allowed (1031), third in runs allowed (494), seventh in home runs allowed (132), third in walks (346) and sixth in strikeouts (922) . . . Games: Tom Wilhelmsen, 57; Starts: Jason Vargas, 27; Wins: Vargas 13; ERA: Hernandez 2.54; Complete Games: Hernandez 4 . . . Shutouts: Hernandez 4; Saves: Wilhelmsen, 19.
• DEBUTS: Munenori Kawasaki (April 7), Lucas Luetge (April 7), Erasmo Ramirez (April 9), Hisashi Iwakuma (April 20), Stephen Pryor (June 2), Carter Capps (Aug. 3).
• DISABLED LIST: George Sherrill (60-day), April 13, strained flexor bundle), Franklin Gutierrez (15-day), June 29, concussion.
• 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) combined for 6 hits in 9-3 Cleveland win; May 17, Casey Kotchman (2), Cabrera (2), Jose Lopez (1), Choo (1) had six of Cleveland’s 10 hits, plus 5 RBIs, in a 6-5 win; July 4, Chris Tillman recorded first win of the year in a 4-2 Baltimore win by allowing two runs over 8.1 innings; July 13, Adrian Beltre two-run HR off Kevin Millwood in a 3-2 Texas win at Safeco Field; July 15, Beltre had three hits and two RBIs in a 4-0 Texas win over Seattle at Safeco Field; July 23, Four ex-Mariners played roles in beating the Mariners 4-1: Ichiro, traded 3 1/2 hours before the opening pitch, singled and stole his 16th base; Alex Rodriguez belted his 40th career home run at Safeco Field; Raul Ibanezhad an RBI single; Rafael Soriano notched the save; July 26, Soriano notched his 26th save in New York’s 5-2 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field; Aug. 5, Raul Ibanez clubbed a three-run homer, Freddy Garcia won his 150th career game and Ichiro extended his hitting streak to 12 games as the Yankees defeated the Mariners 6-2; Aug. 6, Chris Tillman took a three-hit shutout into the eighth and defeated the Mariners 3-1 at Camden Yards; Aug. 7, Adam Jones walk-off single against Shawn Kelley in the bottom of the 14th gave Baltimore an 8-7 win over Seattle.

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 until there were two outs 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 while shutting them out. Millwood’s complete game also was the first by a Mariner in 2012.
• May 27: The pinch-hit grand slam allowed by Felix Hernandez to Alberto Callaspo marked just the sixth against the Mariners in 35 years, and the first since May 6, 1988 when Pat Sheridan of Detroit hit one off Mike Jackson.
• May 30: Mariners defeated Texas 21-8, just the third time in franchise history they have scored 20 or more runs in a game. The Mariners, with 20 hits, became the first team since 1880 to score 20 runs in a game in the same season it also go perfect-oed.
• June 8: Kevin Millwood and five relievers collaborated for the 10th combined no-hitter in major league history in a 1-0 win over the Dodgers at Safeco Field. Millwood (6.0), Charlie Furbush (0.2), Stephen Pryor (0.1), Lucas Luetge (0.1), Brandon League (0.2), and Tom Wilhelmsen (1.0) tied the MLB record for most pitchers used in a no-hitter (Houston vs. the Yankees June 11, 2003). It marked the third no-hitter in Mariners history.
• June 18: Aaron Hill of Arizona hit for the cycle in the Diamondbacks’ 7-1 win over the Mariners. Hill singled in the first (Hector Noesi), tripled in the third (Noesi), doubled in the fifth (Noesi) and homered in the seventh (Shawn Kelley).
• June 19: Ichiro reached 2,500 hits (first-inning single) in the fourth-fewest games in major league history during a 12-9 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. His 2,500th hit came in his 1,817th game. Al Simmons had 2,500 hits in 1,784 games, Ty Cobb in 1,790 and George Sisler in 1,808 . . . When Kyle Seager and Brendan Ryan both hit three-run homers in the fifth inning, it marked the first time since July 30, 2003 vs. Detroit that the Mariners had a pair of three-run bombs in the same inning. In that July 30, 2003 game, John Olerud hit a three-run homer and Randy Winn a grand slam in the first inning.
• July 1: One-time Mariner farmhand David Ortiz of the Red Sox hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning, giving Boston a 2-1 win over the Mariners.
• July 3: In Seattle’s 6-3 win over Baltimore at Safeco Field, The Mariners had three Japanese players in the starting lineup – Ichiro Suzuki,  Munenori Kawasaki and Hisashi Iwakuma – for the first time in major league history.
• July 23: Mariners traded Ichiro, face of the franchise for 11 1/2 years, to the Yankees for two prospects and cash considerations. Ichiro made his debut against Seattle with the Yankees at Safeco field and went 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Aug. 15: Felix Hernandez threw the 23rd perfect game in major league history, defeating Tampa Bay 1-0 at Safeco Field. Hernandez recorded 12 strikeouts in throwing the third no-hitter in franchise history . . . Mariners became the first team in MLB history to throw a perfect game and have one thrown against them.  It was also the first time two have been thrown in the same stadium in one season . . . Of the 22 previous perfect games, six were by 1-0 scores, the last by Roy Halladay May 29, 2010 at Florida. It was also the fourth 1-0 win for the Mariners this season . . .Hernandez became the second Latin American pitcher to do the deed (Nicaragua’s Dennis Martinez for Montreal July 28, 1991, against the Dodgers) . . . Hernandez became the second Latin American pitcher to do the deed (Nicaragua’s Dennis Martinez for Montreal July 28, 1991, against the Dodgers).

MARINERS WON-LOSS BREAKDOWN

MARINERS BATTING PROFILE

MARINERS PITCHING PROFILE

PROBABLE PITCHERS

MARINERS 2012 SCHEDULE/RESULTS

March (1-1)

April (10-12)

May (12-17)

June (11-16)

July (15-11)

August (12-6)