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Indians-Mariners Preview

Jul 24, 2009 - 1:24 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Cleveland (37-58) at Seattle (50-44), 10:10 p.m. EDT

Last week's visit to Cleveland got the surprising Seattle Mariners off to a strong start in the second half, but they're hoping the Indians' trip to Safeco Field this weekend can help their cause even more in the AL West.

The clubs will meet for the fifth time in nine days as they open a three-game set Friday, with the Mariners hoping to have former Indian Franklin Gutierrez back in the lineup to boost their struggling offense.

Seattle (51-44) has won five of six, including three victories in a four-game set at Cleveland last week, but the team is still chasing the Los Angeles Angels and Texas in the division.

The Mariners needed outstanding pitching performances to win the final two games of their series in Detroit this week, with Felix Hernandez and Jarrod Washburn leading them to back-to-back 2-1 victories.

Those games were somewhat indicative of how Seattle has succeeded this year, as the club ranks 13th in the AL with 374 runs but leads the league with a 3.65 ERA.

The Mariners were without the red-hot Gutierrez for the two victories after he injured himself running into the wall Tuesday, but he could return this weekend. The center fielder, acquired from Cleveland in an offseason trade, is batting .362 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs in his last 30 games.

He had two home runs and five RBIs against his former team last week.

"When players that used to play for a club get traded or released, they always have more of an edge when they're playing their former club," Indians manager Eric Wedge said of Gutierrez.

More and more players are becoming former Indians, and reliever Rafael Betancourt was the latest Thursday as he was traded to Colorado. With Mark DeRosa already sent to St. Louis, Cleveland (38-58) could make more moves before the July 31 trade deadline as the club tries to rebuild.

The Mariners, meanwhile, are still hoping to be a factor in the postseason race, and this six-game homestand could be a key stretch as they decide whether to trade players like Washburn.

"I want to stay here because if I get traded it means something bad has happened in the next 10 or so days," Washburn told the Mariners' official Web site.

Seattle will turn to another left-hander to open the series as Ryan Rowland-Smith (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his first appearance in the majors in more than three months while Garrett Olson moves to the bullpen.

The Australian was placed on the disabled list with elbow problems after allowing two unearned runs in 3 1-3 innings against Oakland on April 10, and he has spent the last several weeks with Triple-A Tacoma. He won his last four starts in the minors while posting a 1.71 ERA.

"His velocity has been up and the improvement has been there," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said.

Cleveland will counter with Aaron Laffey (3-2, 4.27). The young southpaw did not receive a decision after allowing three runs in six innings against Seattle in the Indians' 5-3 loss Sunday.

It was Laffey's second start since a six-week stint on the disabled list with an oblique strain. In his last visit to Safeco, Laffey gave up eight runs - three earned - in 3 2-3 innings of an 8-2 loss July 18, 2008.