Opponent: Texas Rangers
When: 5:05 p.m. today, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Where: Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas
TV: FSN (cable) today; KSTW (Ch.13) Friday and Saturday; no TV on Sunday.
Radio: KOMO (1000 AM) all four games.
Probable starting pitchers
Today – Seattle right-hander Joel Pineiro (7-9, 5.78 earned run average) vs. right-hander Adam Eaton (1-2, 5.23).
Friday – Right-hander Gil Meche (9-6, 4.35) vs. right-hander Kip Wells (1-0, 1.80).
Saturday – Left-hander Jamie Moyer (6-10, 4.28) vs. right-hander Edinson Volquez (0-1, 7.20).
Sunday – Right-hander Felix Hernandez (10-9, 4.29) vs. right-hander Kevin Millwood (10-8, 4.74).
Positive steps
Felix Hernandez’s final numbers Tuesday – eight innings, five hits and one run against the Devil Rays – weren’t as impressive as the way he arrived at them.
The Mariners’ 20-year-old right-hander labored through the first three innings without a feel for his breaking pitches, but gave up only a run before settling into a rhythm that the Devil Rays couldn’t handle.
Manager Mike Hargrove said it’s a sign of how Hernandez has grown since the beginning of the season.
“I think it goes back to the spring training before the 2005 season,” Hargrove said. “His first outing then was pretty good, but his next outing he absolutely got lit up. The harder he threw the worst it got, and he didn’t back off and try to do something different. He just tried to throw harder and harder, and that’s a young kid’s reaction. I think he learned a valuable lesson from that.”
After pitching impressively in 12 starts last season, Hernandez slipped back into his old pattern early this year of overthrowing when he struggled. He has pitched well in his past seven starts, though.
“He’s starting to show, like a lot of good pitchers, that if you’re going to get to him you’ve got to get to him early,” Hargrove said. “If you don’t get to the good ones early, they find their rhythm and find their breaking ball. They have an ability to work their way out of jams just with their stuff until they do find it. And then they’re doubly tough.
“That’s the thing we’ve seen out of Felix more and more. Certainly it’s not anywhere near where it needs to be, but you see glimpses of that coming through. You look out there and see the mound presence and everything that points to him being an absolutely very good pitcher for a long time, and you expect him to be like that now. You tend to forget he’s only 20.”
Lowe improving: Rookie reliever Mark Lowe played catch for 10 minutes Wednesday morning and said his right elbow felt fine.
Lowe hasn’t pitched since Saturday after he developed a sore elbow and, even though he felt good Wednesday, Hargrove probably won’t use him tonight in Texas.
No comment: Hargrove spent several minutes before the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday night talking with plate umpire Brian Runge, and at one point the conversation became tense.
Hargrove wouldn’t disclose the topic of their talk.
“Most of it had to do with the game,” Hargrove said. “But there were other things I’d rather not comment on.”
Of note: Richie Sexson, who hit his fourth grand slam of the season to win Tuesday night’s game, needs two more to tie the major league record set by the Yankees’ Don Mattingly in 1987. Travis Hafner of the Indians has five this season. The Mariners’ record is four in a season, set by Edgar Martinez in 2000. … Wednesday’s shutout victory was the Mariners’ first since June 2, when Jamie Moyer beat the Royals 4-0. … The Mariners have swept five series this season. … Jose Lopez has 10 sacrifice bunts, most in the American League.
Kirby Arnold, Herald writer
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