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Mariners-Angels Preview

Sep 8, 2009 - 2:18 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Seattle (72-66) at Los Angeles (81-54), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Scott Kazmir pitched well in his debut with the Los Angeles Angels last week, but he was outdone by a better performance from Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.

Kazmir can't be thrilled, then, that he'll face Hernandez and the Mariners again in his first home start with the Angels Tuesday night, as the AL West rivals open a three-game series.

Los Angeles (81-55) acquired Kazmir in a waiver trade from Tampa Bay on Aug. 28, and the left-hander made a good first impression with six strong innings at Seattle Wednesday. He allowed two runs - one earned - and three hits while striking out eight.

But it wasn't enough against Hernandez (14-5, 2.65 ERA), who dominated the Angels for eight innings in Seattle's 3-0 win. The right-hander, who is 10-2 with a 2.04 ERA in his last 19 starts, ranks second in the AL in ERA behind Kansas City's Zack Greinke.

"I knew it was going to a pretty good game," Hernandez said. "Kazmir threw outstanding. For me, the key was getting ahead of the hitters. They are great hitters."

The Angels have been struggling offensively lately, going 3-3 in their last six games despite scoring three or fewer runs five times over that span. But their pitching has been sharp, with their starters boasting a 1.49 ERA in the last nine contests.

Kazmir (8-8, 5.68) only figures to help, despite his difficult season. Five of his last six outings with the Rays were quality starts, and he has struck out 18 in 12 1-3 innings in his last two starts overall.

"I think I have a good feel for what I want to do against (the Mariners)," Kazmir told the Angels' official Web site. "I can't worry about who the mound opponent is. I just have to do my job out there and give my team a chance to win."

The Angels won three of four at Kansas City over the weekend, and they hold a five-game lead on Texas in the West. But they'd like to solve their recent offensive issues after going 2 for 11 with men in scoring position in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Royals. They stranded 12 runners.

"We had a bunch of chances and had some missed opportunities," third baseman Chone Figgins said. "We're happy the way the series went, but usually when we get that many runners on base we score a little more runs than we did today."

The Mariners (72-66) split four games at Oakland over the long weekend, losing the last two, although Sunday's 5-2 defeat had one major positive - Ichiro Suzuki's 2,000th major league hit.

"I knew he could play baseball and he's just fun to watch," outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. said. "That's a special day for him and for all of us. It's nice to see history made. Five more hits and we get to watch it all over again."

The Japanese outfielder needs five more hits to become the first player ever to notch nine consecutive 200-hit seasons. He went 1 for 3 last week against Kazmir and is 7 for 21 in his career in the matchup.

Kazmir is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA in seven starts against the Mariners. Hernandez hasn't been as good against the Angels, going 4-5 with a 4.40 in 15 starts, but he's allowed one unearned run in 14 2-3 innings in his last two outings against Los Angeles.

The Angels will need a sweep this week if they hope to avoid losing the season series, which they trail 9-7. They haven't dropped a season series to the Mariners since 2003.