Final
White Sox-Mariners Preview
Sep 15, 2009 - 9:39 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS WriterChicago (71-73) at Seattle (74-70), 10:10 p.m. EDT
With his team far behind in the playoff race, Ichiro Suzuki is providing most of the excitement around the Seattle Mariners these days.
One game after setting a record for consecutive 200-hit seasons, Suzuki tries to help the Mariners open a six-game homestand on a positive note when they face the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.
The Mariners (74-70) are 11 games behind Boston for the wild card and well back of AL West-leading Los Angeles with 18 games remaining.
With Seattle having little hope of making the postseason, Suzuki's chase of another prestigious hits record had been the main story surrounding the team.
The right fielder became the first player to reach 200 hits in nine consecutive seasons Sunday by beating out an infield single during a 5-0 win at Texas. He had been tied with Hall of Famer Willie Keeler, who had eight straight 200-hit seasons from 1894-1901.
"When I break a record, I never feel satisfaction," Suzuki told the team's official Web site. "I strongly feel expectation from Japan and my records are things that I feel Japan (believes) they must have.
"I always want to feel satisfaction, but when I accomplish a record, I only feel relief."
Suzuki also holds the record for hits in a season, piling up 262 in 2004 to eclipse George Sisler's mark of 257 set in 1920.
"I was a witness to both," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said of Suzuki's records. "I was coaching with the Rangers when he broke the (single-season) hit record. That was something. But to break a record that was set in 1901 is even bigger in my book.
"He's a special player, he's got so many weapons. He can use the whole field. He can hit a home run now and then. He's just a special player."
Suzuki, the AL batting champion in 2001 and '04, is second in the league with a .353 average, overcoming his first trip to the disabled list in April and a left calf strain that kept him out of eight games last month.
He has struggled against the White Sox this season, however, hitting .222 with one RBI as the clubs have split six meetings.
The Mariners will give the ball to Ian Snell (4-2, 5.13 ERA), who had his four-game winning streak halted with a 6-3 loss at Los Angeles on Wednesday. The right-hander, who allowed four runs with five walks in 5 1-3 innings, had won four consecutive starts with a 2.49 ERA.
He has gone 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA in two starts against the White Sox, last facing them June 17, 2008, while with Pittsburgh.
Chicago (71-73) is looking to rebound from Sunday's 3-2 defeat to the Angels. The White Sox have alternated losses and wins over the last seven games.
Freddy Garcia (1-2, 4.40) would like to continue that trend when he takes the mound Tuesday.
The right-hander pitched at least six innings in his last four starts and posted a 2.25 ERA in the previous two - both White Sox wins.
A member of the Mariners from 1999-2004, Garcia has gone 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA in six starts against his former club. He hasn't faced Seattle since September 2006.
- Mariners 3, White Sox 6 - FINAL
CHI WHITE SOX ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
S Podsednik cf-lf 4 0 2 0 0 1 2 .306
G Beckham 3b 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .274
A Pierzynski c 5 2 3 2 0 0 1 .315
P Konerko 1b 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 .284
D Wise pr-rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .203
M Kotsay rf-1b 5 0 1 2 0 0 1 .265
J Dy
Sep 16 1:11 AM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
PASSED BALL BY KENJI JOHJIMA ALLOWED CHRIS GETZ TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, A RAMIREZ ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 6
SEATTLE 3 TOP,8TH
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: S PODSEDNIK (.304, 1-FOR-3, SAC)
White Sox 6, Mariners 3 Top 8, 0 OutsSep 16 12:41 AM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY PAUL KONERKO SCORED A.J. PIERZYNSKI
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, P KONERKO ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 5
SEATTLE 3 TOP,7TH
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: M KOTSAY (.269, 1-FOR-3, 2 RBI)
White Sox 5, Mariners 3 Top 7, 0 OutsSep 16 12:16 AM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY A.J. PIERZYNSKI SCORED ALEXEI RAMIREZ AND CHRIS
GETZ
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, A PIERZYNSKI ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 4
SEATTLE 3 TOP,7TH
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: P KONERKO (.283, 1-FOR-2, BB)
White Sox 4, Mariners 3 Top 7, 0 OutsSep 16 12:14 AM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY MARK KOTSAY SCORED PAUL KONERKO AND A.J.
PIERZYNSKI
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, M KOTSAY ON SECOND, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 2
SEATTLE 3 TOP,4TH
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: J DYE (.251, 0-FOR-0, BB)
White Sox 2, Mariners 3 Top 4, 0 OutsSep 15 11:05 PM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY JOSE LOPEZ SCORED ICHIRO SUZUKI
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, F GUTIERREZ ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 0
SEATTLE 3 BOTTOM,3RD
DUE UP FOR SEATTLE: K GRIFFEY JR. (.221, 1-FOR-1, HR, RBI)
White Sox 0, Mariners 3 Bot 3, 0 OutsSep 15 10:53 PM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MIKE CARP SCORED KENJI JOHJIMA
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, M CARP ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 0
SEATTLE 2 BOTTOM,2ND
DUE UP FOR SEATTLE: J WILSON (.221, 1 HR, 8 RBI)
White Sox 0, Mariners 2 Bot 2, 0 OutsSep 15 10:37 PM - AL
AT SEATTLE - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY KEN GRIFFEY JR. (15) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 0
OUT IN THE 2ND OFF FREDDY GARCIA.
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 0, SEATTLE 1
DUE UP FOR SEATTLE: A BELTRE (.264, 6 HR, 37 RBI)
White Sox 0, Mariners 1 Bot 2, 0 OutsSep 15 10:32 PM
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