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Danks takes another shot at first win in start vs. Mariners

Jun 6, 2011 - 2:35 PM (Sports Network) - John Danks takes another shot at win No. 1 this evening when the Chicago White Sox open a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field.

Danks, a 15-game winner a year ago, endured his worst outing of the season last Sunday in Toronto, as the Blue Jays battered him for nine runs and nine hits in just four innings, dropping the left-hander to 0-8, while ballooning his earned run average to 5.25.

The 0-8 start is the worst by a White Sox starter since Eddie Smith opened the 1942 campaign by losing his first 10 decisions.

"I'm excited to get back out there. It has been a long seven or eight days, so it's good to get a little bit of a breather," Danks said. "But at the same time, I want to get back out there and try to make up for the last one."

Danks' struggles could come to an end tonight, as he has pitched well over the Mariners lately, going 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his last five starts against them.

Chicago was denied a series win against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend losing the final two games, including a 7-3 setback in Sunday's rubber match.

Paul Konerko doubled twice and drove in a run and Gordon Beckham added a solo blast in the fourth frame for the White Sox, who won four straight before dropping the last two of this set.

Jake Peavy (2-1) retired the first nine batters he faced, but imploded in the fourth and left the game with a groin injury he said affected his location.

"You watch the game and you watch where my pitches went, they went where they were intended to go for the first three innings," said Peavy. "Then after that, I didn't really throw one ball where it was supposed to be thrown."

Seattle, meanwhile, has been one of the hottest teams in baseball and enters tonight's matchup on the heels of taking three of four from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners secured that series win on Sunday, as Miguel Olivo smacked a three-run homer off Joel Peralta in the eighth inning to give Seattle a 9-6 win.

"He's a big-game player. He's had a lot of big hits in his career," said Mariners manager Eric Wedge about Olivo. "He wants to be up there in those situations and that's half the battle."

The series win was the Mariners' sixth in a row, a streak they have not accomplished since winning an incredible 14 consecutive series during their 116-win campaign in 2001.

Seattle should be in a good position to start this series off on the right foot tonight, as it will hand the ball to rookie phenom Michael Pineda, who is 6-2 with a 2.30 ERA. Pineda did not get a decision on Wednesday against Baltimore, but was terrific in allowing just a run and six hits in seven innings of a 2-1 loss.

This will be Pineda's first-ever appearance against the White Sox.

Chicago took two of three from the Mariners earlier in the year and is 11-2 against them since the start of last season. Seattle lost all seven games it played last season in the Windy City and has dropped eight in a row there overall.