Last place teams square off at Safeco
Posted: Fri May 16 10:58 AM
(Sports Network) - Neither San Diego or Seattle figured to be in last place in their respective divisions by the time they opened up interleague play against each other. However, that is where both the Padres and Mariners find themselves, as they start a three-game set tonight at Safeco Field.
The Padres have lost two straight and eight of their last 11 games, and are 11 1/2 games back of the National League West-leading Diamondbacks. The Mariners, meanwhile, have lost seven of nine and find themselves 7 1/2 games back of the front-running Angels in the American League West.
San Diego was shutout in its most recent loss, falling to the Chicago Cubs, 4-0, in the finale of a four-game set on Thursday. Brian Giles had three hits for San Diego.
Greg Maddux (3-4) was charged with 11 hits and four runs over 4 1/3 innings. The four-time Cy Young Award winner captured his landmark 350th victory last Saturday versus Colorado.
Chris Young will try to record consecutive victories tonight for the first time this year for the Padres. Young is 3-3 on the season with a 3.94 earned run average, and has yielded more than two runs in only two of his eight starts this season. He defeated Colorado on Sunday, allowing just one run and five hits over six frames while striking out seven.
Young, who has a 6.75 ERA in four road starts this season, has made seven career starts against the Mariners, going 3-1 against them with a 3.46 ERA. The right-hander faced them twice last year, going 1-0 while yielding only four runs in 13 1/3 total innings.
Young also had the fifth best ERA (1.77) in interleague action last year, though San Diego went just 6-9 versus the AL and is 80-96 all-time in interleague play.
The Mariners will send Miguel Batista to the hill tonight. Batista is 3-4 on the season with a save and 5.58 ERA, and snapped a three-start winless stretch (0-2) on Sunday versus the White Sox. The right-hander gave up three runs and worked around a season-high 10 hits while striking out six in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-3 victory.
Batista has a horrid 9.82 ERA in five appearances at home this year and will make his 27th career appearance and 14th start against the Padres. He is 4-5 with a 3.90 ERA against San Diego lifetime.
Giles is hitting .321 (9-for-28) off Batista with a homer and five RBI.
Seattle enters this series on a winning note after an extra-inning, 4-3 victory against Texas on Wednesday. Miguel Cairo drove in the game-winning run in the 12th inning to lift his club.
Cairo was starting in place of Richie Sexson, who concluded his five-game suspension on Friday for his actions against Texas last Thursday. That included throwing his helmet at Rangers pitcher Kason Gabbard after a high fastball.
Sexson's suspension ends at the right time, as he hit six homers in interleague play last year. He is also batting .286 (4-for-14) with two homers and three RBI against Young.
Carlos Silva started on the mound, but left in the seventh inning with a back injury. He lasted 6 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on five hits with four strikeouts. J.J. Putz (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win and starter Jarrod Washburn earned his first career save, as Seattle had used up its bullpen.
Washburn was to start tonight's game.
Ichiro Suzuki led all players in interleague play last year with a .486 average and 35 hits. He is a career .400 batter (8-for-20) versus Young with two home runs, six RBI and six steals.
Seattle won four of six against the Padres last year on the way to a 9-9 overall mark against the NL. The Mariners, who are 107-87 all-time in interleague play, have won nine of their last 12 versus San Diego.
