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White Sox-Mariners Preview

Aug 11, 2009 - 6:41 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Chicago (57-56) at Seattle (59-53), 10:10 p.m. EDT

Off the field, the Chicago White Sox upgraded their roster to seriously contend for a postseason berth. Now, they have to find a way to get it done on the field.

One day after acquiring another former All-Star, the White Sox look to avoid a third straight loss when they continue their series with the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night at Safeco Field.

Hours after acquiring two-time All-Star outfielder Alex Rios off waivers from Toronto, Chicago (57-56) lost for the fourth time in five games, 6-4 to Seattle in Monday's series opener.

Despite the recent rough stretch, the White Sox remain only three games behind AL Central-leading Detroit. They felt Rios could help an inconsistent offense even though he's batting a middling .264 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs this season.

The move came less than two weeks after Chicago traded for former Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy, who's on the disabled list but could make his White Sox debut in early September. The White Sox assume a minimum of $61.6 million by adding Rios, who's expected to be with the team Tuesday but likely won't be in the lineup until Wednesday's finale.

"It's a new team and I just have to keep doing what I was doing here, go out and play hard and just try to help the new team win," said Rios, who joins a crowded outfield that includes Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin, Scott Podsednik, DeWayne Wise and the versatile Mark Kotsay.

Rios could see time at the expense of Dye or designated hitter Jim Thome, who are both free agents at the end of the season. Dye, who went 0 for 3 on Monday, is batting .138 in his last 17 games.

"I'm going to sit down with (Rios) and talk about the situation," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Everybody is going to have playing time.

"The lineup? That's going to be my headache - a good one."

Guillen's head might have hurt in a bad way Monday, after Russell Branyan hit a solo homer and Kenji Johjima added a two-run shot in Seattle's three-run sixth inning that erased Chicago's one-run lead.

Ken Griffey Jr. - a late acquisition by the White Sox last season - had two hits and two RBIs for the Mariners (59-53), who have won six of nine to pull within 4 1/2 games of wild-card leader Boston.

"Other people are starting to take us seriously," closer David Aardsma said after recording his 27th save in 29 chances for a Seattle club that lost 101 games in 2008.

Branyan has homered in three of his last four games to increase his season total to a career-high 27. He's 6 for 16 against the White Sox this season, and 2 for 2 with a double lifetime off Chicago's scheduled starter John Danks (9-8, 4.23 ERA).

Danks is 0-4 with an 8.10 ERA against the Mariners, including a 9-1 loss April 28 in which he allowed five runs in four innings.

In his last start, the left-hander gave up seven runs in 6 1-3 innings and took the loss in a 9-5 home defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.

Doug Fister makes his first career start for the Mariners after pitching a scoreless inning against Tampa Bay on Saturday in his major league debut.

The 6-foot-8 right-hander, who was 6-4 with a 3.81 ERA in 22 games including 17 starts for Triple-A Tacoma, has a simple approach to this outing.

"Just throwing strikes," Fister told the Mariners' official Web site. "Letting them put it in play and let them get themselves out."