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Mariners-Athletics Preview

Apr 7, 2010 - 6:21 AM By CHRIS ALTRUDA STATS Editor

Seattle (1-1) at Oakland (1-1), 10:05 p.m. EDT

For Justin Duchscherer, it's been a long road back to make a fresh start both physically and emotionally.

Taking the mound Wednesday night for the first time in nearly 20 months, Duchscherer attempts to help the Oakland Athletics win a second straight game from the Seattle Mariners.

The right-hander has not pitched since Aug. 18, 2008, when he left in the third inning against Minnesota due to a hip injury. It sidelined him the remainder of that season before arthroscopic surgery on his elbow scuttled 2009.

The frustration of slow rehabilitation coupled with off-the-field personal problems led Duchscherer to seek treatment for clinical depression last year. An All-Star in 2008, he signed a one-year contract in December to remain with the Athletics, and was able to work himself into game shape despite undergoing a procedure to relieve discomfort in his back in February, and being hit on the left thumb by a line drive during a simulated game in March.

In his final spring training outing April 2, Duchscherer scattered three hits in six shutout innings thanks in large part to a sharp curveball as he appeared to find the needed spark to be a major league pitcher again.

"Last year I went through a lot of stuff off the field," he told the Athletics' official Web site. "There was one point where I thought maybe I'd never play again. I'm proud of myself for getting through what I needed to get through... I have a long way to go during the season, but it feels good to be back out there."

Duchscherer is 1-3 with a 4.57 career ERA as a starter versus the Mariners, and his last victory was a two-hit shutout against them July 8, 2008.

Oakland (1-1) evened its record with a 2-1, 10-inning victory Tuesday as Mark Ellis' one-out single plated pinch-runner Eric Patterson with the winning run. It was the only hit in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position for the Athletics, who stranded 12 runners on base before Ellis notched his third hit of the game.

"I was a little bit anxious and when I bunted it helped a lot," Ellis said, referring to his single in the fourth. "I had some good at-bats after that."

Ryan Rowland-Smith will try to keep the Athletics in check and follow Felix Hernandez and Ian Snell with another quality start for the Mariners (1-1). The left-hander went 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in three starts versus Oakland in 2009, and is 2-1 with a 3.11 ERA in five starts and 10 lifetime appearances.

While Rowland-Smith, who won a starting spot with a strong effort in the second half of 2009, did struggle at times in spring training, he had a solid seven-inning outing April 2 in limiting the Chicago Cubs to one run in seven innings.

The Mariners have posted a 2.41 ERA in the first two games but the offense has failed to click consistently. They are batting .169 with 18 strikeouts in 65 at-bats while going 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Ichiro Suzuki - carrying a 22-game hitting streak against the Athletics - has been challenged by Duchscherer, striking out 12 times while getting nine hits in 31 lifetime at-bats. It is his third-most against any major league pitcher, trailing only John Lackey (14) and Scot Shields (13).