Angels 1 - 4 Mariners
Final
  for this game

King Felix faced with tall task vs. Angels

Sep 28, 2014 - 1:22 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - There's nothing better for a team than to send out the staff ace in the most important game of the season.

That's the scenario for the Seattle Mariners Sunday in the finale of a three- game set versus the LA Angels of Anaheim.

Seattle is one game behind the Oakland Athletics for the final wild card berth in the American League and could force a one-game tiebreaker with a win and an Oakland loss to Texas. Ace Felix Hernandez hopes to contribute to those aspirations when he takes the mound Sunday and will try to bounce back from a rough outing his last time out.

In a 10-2 beatdown at the hands of Toronto on Tuesday, Hernandez gave up eight runs -- seven in the fifth inning -- and seven hits across 4 2/3 innings of work to fall to 14-6 with a 2.34 earned run average. He hasn't won since Sept. 3 at Oakland and is 0-1 in his last four appearances. King Felix is 9-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 16 starts at home, but 10-13 with a 3.60 ERA in 39 career starts against the Angels.

However, the right-hander and Cy Young candidate is 2-0 with a sparkling 0.94 ERA in four starts against the Halos this season. He is aiming for the best ERA in the American League this season.

The Mariners needed extra innings to defeat the Angels in Saturday's 2-1 win, as Brad Miller scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning on a fielder's choice off the bat of Austin Jackson. Logan Morrison stroked a game- tying RBI double in the seventh for the Mariners, who have won three in a row after losing five straight and haven't been to the playoffs since 2001.

"We put ourselves in a really good position and we've got to hope that Oakland loses," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We're playing a meaningful game in 162 and I think that speaks volumes of this club."

The Angels won the AL West and have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. They will try to spoil Seattle's chances of making a playoff run Sunday afternoon.

LA was denied a chance to reach 100 wins and the best it can do is 99 with a victory today. In Saturday's tough loss in extras, Mike Morin was dealt the loss for allowing the game-winning run to score and Jackson beat out shortstop Gordon Beckham's throw to first for a potential inning-ending double play.

Grant Green made the decision to try for two.

"He was indecisive," Halos manager Mike Scioscia said of Green. "His indecisiveness kept him at a distance from second."

Howie Kendrick finished with a team-high two hits for the Angels, who have lost two straight and six of nine games.

Cory Rasmus gets the call for the Angels Sunday and is 3-1 with a 2.38 earned run average in 29 games (5 starts). Rasmus, who hasn't prevailed since Aug. 20 at Boston, threw four shutout innings for the second straight outing in last Sunday's 2-1 win over Texas, charged with only two hits.

Rasmus, a right-hander, has faced the Mariners five times (1 start) in his career and is 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA.

Seattle is 11-7 against the Angels this season.






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