• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Angels-Mariners Preview

Jul 10, 2015 - 7:04 AM The Seattle Mariners started a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels with a resounding victory behind a 19-hit attack.

If they want to get some hits Friday night against Hector Santiago, they will be challenged to avoid putting the ball in the air.

Santiago has the majors' lowest groundball percentage, though the left-hander's success is a bit of an enigma as he takes the mound at Safeco Field opposite impressive rookie Mike Montgomery.

Seattle (40-46) had 19 hits for the first time in three years in Thursday's 7-2 victory that snapped Los Angeles' five-game win streak. Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager each had three hits and Logan Morrison homered for the third time in seven games.

"I thought we put together some pretty good at-bats and having said that, we had an opportunity to score a lot more runs, we just didn't get it done," manager Lloyd McClendon said.

Those hitters figure to face a challenge against Santiago (5-4, 2.40 ERA), who has limited batters to groundballs 30.1 percent of the time with the lowest groundball-to-flyball ratio in the majors at 0.66. He pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in Saturday's 13-0 rout at Texas and has allowed two runs and eight hits over 20 innings in his last three outings.

There was talk that Santiago could make the AL All-Star team, though he was omitted despite limiting hitters to a .208 average for one of baseball's better marks.

The Angels (46-39) are likely just hoping he maintains his solid work since his fielding-independent pitching rate is a pedestrian 4.09 and because opponents' batting average in balls in play against him is an AL-best .237. That latter figure was at .288 last year and .291 in 2013.

Santiago's strong three-start run included a 3-2, 10-inning victory June 28 over Seattle in which he allowed one run and three hits in seven innings.

The Mariners' Robinson Cano is 2 for 13 against Santiago and Dustin Ackley is 1 for 10 in this matchup, though he usually sits versus left-handers. Cruz is 1 for 7 versus Santiago and Seager has a double in nine at-bats.

Brad Miller is 3 for 9 off Santiago, but he's hitting .173 against southpaws.

Superstars Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the rest of the Angels will get their first look at left-hander Montgomery (4-2, 1.62), who has a 0.38 ERA in winning three straight starts. The 26-year-old Montgomery gave up one run in 5 2-3 innings in Sunday's 2-1 victory at Oakland after becoming the first rookie to throw back-to-back shutouts since 1980.

"The one thing that we tend to forget that he's a young kid, he's still relatively raw," McClendon said.

Los Angeles lost for the second time in 11 games Thursday and fell to 6-4 in the season series after its third defeat to Felix Hernandez. Trout and Pujols combined for a single in eight at-bats after they totaled five homers and 10 RBIs in their previous three contests.

Erick Aybar went 2 for 4 to improve to 13 for 25 in his last six games.

The Mariners hope center fielder Austin Jackson will be able to play after he missed the opener with back spasms.

The Angels said that closer Huston Street will sit out this series due to an injured right groin that gives Joe Smith the job.