Chicago @ Seattle preview
T-Mobile Park
Last Meeting ( Mar 28, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 1, Seattle 0
Lou Piniella has more grizzle and less fire than he once did, but he remains resolute that he can keep the Chicago Cubs in contention this season.
The Cubs begin a three-game series at Safeco Field on Tuesday, their first appearance in Seattle since 2002 - Piniella’s last season with the Mariners. Piniella returns to Seattle, where he managed for 10 seasons, for the first time since 2005 when he was Tampa Bay's manager.
Exactly which Chicago team shows up is anybody’s guess.
The Cubs are coming off an impressive 12-1 victory on Sunday over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim when they belted out a season-high 18 hits and looked like they could be contenders in the NL Central. That outburst, however, came one night after the Cubs were limited to two hits in a 12-0 loss to the Angels.
After that Saturday shellacking, the 66-year-old Piniella said he has tried “everything I can humanly do to get this thing turned around” and get the Cubs back to respectability this season.
The 2008 division champions were expected to contend from the start, but have struggled to a 31-38 record with a shaky bullpen. They enter this series seven games behind the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cubs have lost a major-league worst 16 one-run games, two more than the Mariners.
There have also been rumors that Piniella, whose contract expires after this season, could be replaced by bench coach Alan Trammell, who managed Detroit from 2003-05. Cubs general manager Jim Hendry continues to support Piniella, but Hendry’s job also has been said to be in jeopardy.
The Mariners (28-41) are even further out of contention than the Cubs – trailing AL West leader Texas by 13 games.
Seattle has put together a season-best four-game winning streak. The Mariners limited Cincinnati to two runs in three games, sweeping the Reds with outstanding starting pitching - including back-to-back complete games by Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez.
Seattle will start left-hander Jason Vargas (5-2, 2.88 ERA) against right-hander Ryan Dempster (5-5, 3.67).
Vargas has had a tendency to throw a lot of pitches, but he threw 94 in 7 2/3 innings in a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.
The hurler has 11 quality starts and has not allowed more than three earned runs since his first start of the season. Vargas is 1-0 with a 4.74 ERA against the Cubs.
Dempster allowed two runs and had seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings in a 6-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. He has only pitched two scoreless innings against the Mariners.