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Mariners-Angels Preview

Sep 10, 2009 - 6:42 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Seattle (72-68) at Los Angeles (83-55), 10:05 p.m. EDT

There hasn't been much excitement lately for the Seattle Mariners, but Ichiro Suzuki's pursuit of major league history is an exception.

Needing four hits to reach 200 for a ninth consecutive season, Suzuki will face the pitcher he's seen more than any other in his career when the visiting Mariners wrap up a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

The Mariners outfielder is 26 for 81 (.321) with 12 strikeouts against Angels starter John Lackey (9-7, 3.74 ERA). He's also had 26 hits against Kevin Millwood and Barry Zito and struck out 13 times versus injured Angels reliever Scot Shields.

Suzuki had four hits in Anaheim on May 31 but has one in his last 13 at-bats as the Mariners (72-68) have fallen 9 1/2 games behind Boston in the wild-card race and 12 back of the division-leading Angels (83-55).

Los Angeles has maintained a 4 1/2-game lead over Texas thanks to improved pitching.

The Angels have a 2.55 ERA in eight games this month after posting a 5.03 ERA in August. That ERA was 5.40 until Lackey's win over Oakland on Aug. 30.

He allowed one unearned run and five hits to earn his 100th career victory and followed by outdueling Kansas City's Zack Greinke in Saturday night's 2-1 win in 11 innings. The Angels right-hander did not get a decision despite yielding one run over nine innings.

"I've been feeling good with my command," Lackey told Los Angeles' official Web site.

In his second attempt to earn at least 10 victories for the seventh consecutive season, Lackey will try to beat Seattle for just the second time in seven home starts dating back to 2005.

He's 1-3 with a 6.93 ERA in the previous six matchups with the Mariners in Anaheim but had won six consecutive overall starts against them before a loss May 29 in which he allowed five runs and 10 hits in 7 1-3 innings. He beat the Mariners on May 18 despite giving up five runs over five innings.

Los Angeles' hitters have gone in the opposite direction from its pitchers, batting .221 with two home runs since the start of the month. However, Juan Rivera hit a two-run shot in the eighth inning of Thursday night's 6-3 win to give his team a comfortable cushion.

The Angels hit .298 in August to boost their major league-best average to .290 and had 41 of their 150 homers in 29 games.

The Mariners (72-68) will start left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith (3-2, 3.88), who earned his first win in nearly a month Friday at Oakland.

In a 6-3 victory, Rowland-Smith threw a four-hitter over eight innings and gave up two of his three runs on Nomar Garciaparra's homer in the seventh.

Vladimir Guerrero is 4 for 7 with a home run against Rowland-Smith, who is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in two career starts against the Angels.

Jose Lopez is 10 for 22 (.455) with three home runs over the last five games and is searching for his fifth straight multihit performance. Lopez is batting .324 (12 for 37) against Lackey.

Los Angeles swept the Mariners in four games Sept. 11-14 at home, and its previous three-game sweep in California was April 20-22, 2007.

The teams have split 18 games and eight in Anaheim heading into the season's final matchup.