Seattle @ San Diego preview
Petco Park
Last Meeting ( May 23, 2010 ) San Diego 8, Seattle 1
Seattle Mariners left-hander Jason Vargas is tied for the eighth-lowest earned run average in the American League and has nine quality starts in his last 10 games.
But when the Mariners begin a three-game interleague series tonight against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, they might need Vargas’ bat as much as his arm.
Without benefit of the designated hitter in a National League park, Vargas will have to hit tonight. That’s fine with Vargas, who is 14-for-48 (.292) with three doubles and three RBIs in his major league career. He was a .354 hitter as a designated hitter at Long Beach State.
Vargas (4-2) will be making his first start at Petco Park, facing right-hander Kevin Correia (5-4, 5.03).
The Mariners enter the game desperate for a victory - or even a close game. They fell to Texas 12-3 Thursday, giving up eight unearned runs, and were smacked around by the Rangers 12-2 the previous night. Texas outscored Seattle 31-6 in the final three games of a four-game series.
Seattle (23-37) is a season-worst 10 games out of first place and 14 games under .500.
The Padres begin a nine-game homestand after splitting a doubleheader with the New York Mets on Thursday, winning the opener 4-2 but getting just one hit in a 3-0 loss in the second game. The Padres (35-25) are one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Correia lasted just 1 2/3 innings in his last start Sunday against Philadelphia. He got a no-decision as the Padres rallied for a 6-5 victory in 10 innings. Correia is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two appearances against Seattle.
The Mariners have problems in several areas, most notably an 8.25 ERA in the Texas series.
Seattle may decide what to do with No. 5 starter Ian Snell today. Snell (0-5) was pummeled for eight runs – seven earned – and eight hits in 1 2/3 innings in Wednesday’s loss. Speculation is he will either go back to the bullpen or perhaps be designated for assignment.
Offensively, even leading hitter Ichiro Suzuki is slumping. He started at DH for the first time Thursday, a move designed to help him rest his legs, but was 0-for-4 and struck out three times. He went 1-for-15 in the four-game series as his average dropped to .340. It was a season-best .358 when the series started.
San Diego, meanwhile, has struggled mightily at home in interleague games, losing 12 of 14 and batting just .227. Seattle has won 10 of 11 in San Diego.
On the injury front, Mariners left-hander Erik Bedard, who is rehabbing after surgery on his left shoulder, threw 50 pitches in bullpen work Thursday and is scheduled to throw a simulated game Tuesday in St. Louis.