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Series Preview: Mariners (46-56) at Twins (52-48)

The Seattle Mariners face the Minnesota Twins in a contest of baseball teams.

subject to change
subject to change
seattle mariners

At a Glance:

Date

First Pitch

Away Team

Probable Pitcher

Home Team

Probable Pitcher

Thursday, July 30

5:10 pm

Mariners

LHP J.A. Happ

Twins

RHP Phil Hughes

Friday, July 31

5:10 pm

Mariners

RHP Taijuan Walker

Twins

LHP Tommy Milone

Saturday, August 1

4:10 pm

Mariners

LHP Mike Montgomery

Twins

RHP Kyle Gibson

Sunday, August 2

11:10 am

Mariners

RHP Hisashi Iwakuma

Twins

RHP Mike Pelfrey

Mariners

Twins

Edge

Batting (AVG)

.239 (15th in AL)

.252 (8th in AL)

Twins

Fielding (Fld Pct)

.986 (4th)

.985 (6th)

Mariners

Starting Pitching (ERA)

3.96 (7th)

3.86 (4th)

Twins

Bullpen (ERA)

3.80 (10th)

4.01 (12th)

Mariners

The Mariners travel to Minnesota for the first time since May of last year. Seattle has an all-time winning percentage of .512 against the Twins, but have just a 9-10 record at Target Field since it opened in 2010. Last year, the Twins beat the Mariners five times out of seven games, outscoring them 25 to 18.

Hisashi Iwakuma has enjoyed some success against the Twins with a 5-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. Jay Happ has also fared well against the Twins with a 1-1 record against them and a 3.60 ERA. Both Taijuan Walker and Mike Montgomery will be facing the Twins for the first time in their young careers; Walker owns a 4.32 ERA against AL Central opponents while Montgomery sports a 4.63 ERA against teams from the Midwest. The latter is a former first-round pick of the Royals, so he may be looking to exact some revenge.

The Twins:

The Twins have an 11-11 record in July and are in second place in the AL Central. They have lost four straight games and are 2-8 over their last 10 games. This year, they are 8-8 against AL West opponents.

Key Players

1B Joe Mauer Joe Mauer has hit .336 against the Mariners during his eleven year career including six home runs and 37 RBIs. However, he has hit just .200 against Hisashi Iwakuma and has gone hitless against Jay Happ. Mauer is batting .321 in July with two home runs but only four RBIs. Fun fact: Mauer is owed nearly half again as many millions of dollars ($69, through 2018) as he's hit home runs in the six years since his MVP season (43).

RF Torii Hunter During his long career, Torii Hunter has performed well against the Mariners. He has knocked in more runs against them than any other batter in team history. He’s also hit 23 home runs and is batting .288 against them. Hunter is also an important clubhouse leader for the Twins, and has played a large role in their turnaround this season.

CF Aaron HicksAaron Hicks has been one of the hottest batters in the majors in July. His .323 batting average during this month is 27th best in baseball and he’s added three home runs and 14 RBIs to his season totals. A former first-rounder, Hicks was selected three picks after former Mariner first baseman Justin Smoak.

Probable Pitchers

RHP Phil Hughes

W

L

ERA

CG

IP

SO

BB

9

6

3.93

1

130 2/3

75

12

Pitches

Fastball

Offspeed Pitch

Breaking Ball

90.9 mph;

82.4%

85.5 mph;

3.0%

77.4 mph;

14.6%

Mariners Batting Splits

Name

H

HR

RBI

AVG

S. Smith

5

0

0

.357

L. Morrison

2

1

1

.333

D. Ackley

5

0

2

.313

K. Seager

5

0

0

.313

A. Jackson

9

1

1

.300

R. Cano

2

0

0

.286

F. Gutierrez

2

1

1

.250

N. Cruz

6

2

3

.231

M. Trumbo

2

0

1

.222

B. Miller

1

0

0

.167

M. Zunino

0

0

0

.000

LHP Tommy Milone

W

L

ERA

CG

IP

SO

BB

5

2

3.58

0

75 1/3

53

23

Pitches

Fastball

Offspeed Pitch

Breaking Ball

88.3 mph;

67.0%

82.0 mph;

21.0%

73.7 mph;

12.1%

Mariners Batting Splits

Name

H

HR

RBI

AVG

L. Morrison

2

1

1

1.000

M. Zunino

3

2

3

.600

F. Gutierrez

5

1

1

.455

D. Ackley

4

0

0

.364

B. Miller

1

0

0

.333

K. Seager

5

1

4

.238

N. Cruz

3

1

3

.188

R. Cano

1

0

1

.125

M. Trumbo

2

1

3

.111

A. Jackson

1

0

1

.077

RHP Kyle Gibson

W

L

ERA

CG

IP

SO

BB

8

8

3.48

0

124

88

42

Pitches

Fastball

Offspeed Pitch

Breaking Ball

92.7 mph;

59.4%

84.7 mph;

18.4%

85.3 mph;

22.1%

Mariners Batting Splits

Name

H

HR

RBI

AVG

S. Smith

2

1

1

.667

B. Miller

4

0

0

.400

K. Seager

3

0

1

.300

R. Cano

4

0

3

.286

M. Trumbo

1

1

1

.200

A. Jackson

1

0

0

.125

L. Morrison

0

0

1

.000

D. Ackley

0

0

0

.000

N. Cruz

0

0

0

.000

M. Zunino

0

0

0

.000

J. Sucre

0

0

0

.000

RHP Mike Pelfrey

W

L

ERA

CG

IP

SO

BB

5

7

3.92

0

110 1/3

53

36

Pitches

Fastball

Offspeed Pitch

Breaking Ball

93.9 mph;

70.3%

81.8 mph;

17.2%

81.3 mph;

12.4%

Mariners Batting Splits

Name

H

HR

RBI

AVG

M. Trumbo

5

1

1

.625

S. Smith

7

1

1

.500

K. Seager

1

0

0

.500

J. Sucre

1

0

0

.500

A. Jackson

5

0

1

.385

R. Cano

3

0

1

.214

L. Morrison

2

0

1

.133

N. Cruz

0

0

0

.000

The Big Picture:

The AL West

Team

W-L

W%

Games Behind

Recent Form

Astros

57-45

.559

-

L-L-L-W-W

Angels

55-45

.550

1.0

L-W-W-L-L

Rangers

48-52

.480

8.0

W-L-L-L-W

Mariners

46-56

.451

11.0

L-W-L-L-L

Athletics

45-56

.446

11.5

L-L-L-W-W

The Wild Card Race

Team

W-L

W%

Games Behind

Recent Form

Angels

55-45

.550

+3.0

L-W-W-L-L

Twins

52-48

.520

-

W-L-L-L-L

Orioles

51-49

.510

1.0

W-W-W-W-W

Blue Jays

51-51

.500

2.0

L-W-L-L-W

Rays

51-52

.495

2.5

L-L-W-W-L

The Astros regained the AL West division lead by beating the Angels two times out of three earlier this week. The Rangers lost twice to the Yankees including a 21-5 drubbing on Tuesday. The Orioles have won five straight and vaulted themselves one game behind the Twins in the Wild Card race. A sweep of the Twins could bring the Mariners as close as three games back of the Wild Card as the teams head into August.