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White Sox, Mariners aim to get on track in Seattle

May 7, 2011 - 3:02 PM (Sports Network) - A pair of teams sitting in the cellars of their respective divisions in the American League play the second of a three-game set at Safeco Field tonight as the Seattle Mariners entertain the visiting Chicago White Sox.

Chicago, which is just 1-6 versus opponents from the AL West, is not only last in the Central Division at 11-22 at the moment, the team is also sporting the worst record of any club in the majors heading into the weekend and is already 11 games out of contention in the division.

Last night the Sox, who were a stellar 9-1 versus the Mariners last season, were in contention right up until the end before the hosts put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the ninth inning and Adam Kennedy came in to score the game-winning run on a Brendan Ryan single with two outs in the 3-2 final. Carlos Quentin smacked his seventh home run of the season for Chicago and Juan Pierre tallied a pair of hits and a run scored in the setback as well.

Chicago starting pitcher Philip Humber tossed seven strong innings as he allowed just two earned runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out four, but it was reliever Matt Thornton who was unable to complete the effort as he allowed four hits in just 1 2/3 innings, en route to his third loss of the campaign.

As for the Mariners, Felix Hernandez went the distance in picking up his fourth win in six decisions, permitting two runs on five hits, while fanning six. Ryan, who is batting just .191 on the season, registered two of the team's seven hits on the night.

"He's been swinging the bat better the last three or four days," said Seattle manager Eric Wedge about Ryan. "He's had some hard outs and I really like the way he's been approaching the baseball at home plate, but a big hit like that's the type of hit that can get you going."

Milton Bradley, who is also having a tough time finding his rhythm at the plate for the Mariners with an average of only .215, contributed a double, an RBI and a run scored, but he also accounted for three of the squad's six strikeouts.

Vying for his third win in as many decisions, Doug Fister takes the ball for the Mariners tonight. Since kicking off the 2011 campaign with three consecutive setbacks, the right-hander has drawn to within a game of .500 thanks to victories over Detroit and Boston.

Against the Red Sox at Fenway Park last weekend, Fister threw 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball, giving up five hits and surviving five walks while striking out four batters in what turned into a 2-0 victory. Now in just his third year in the majors, the Fresno State product has a record of 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three career appearances versus the White Sox.

As for Chicago, it will be Gavin Floyd who takes the mound for the visitors tonight. The right-hander, who is shooting for the 50th win of his career, last took the hill on Sunday when he worked through six innings against Baltimore at home, allowing six runs on seven hits, en route to a 6-4 setback. For the second straight game and the third in the last four appearances, Floyd gave up a pair of home runs.

Against Seattle in his career, Floyd has a record of just 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA through 51 2/3 innings of action.

Despite coming up hitless in last night's game and carrying an overall batting average of just .178 to this point in the season, Chicago's Alex Rios has been one of the better hitters in the lineup for the Sox over the last week with his three home runs and 15 total bases. Paul Konerko has just four hits in the last six games, yet two have gone out of the park and he has plated a total of six for the struggling club.

Ichiro Suzuki's last six games for the Mariners have been rather uneventful, the all-star outfielder posting just five hits in 22 at-bats. Instead, the star for Seattle, which has won two in a row and is an impressive 8-2 in the last 10 games, has been Justin Smoak with his eight hits in 22 at-bats and the lone home run in the last week for the team.