• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Surging Mariners visit the Cubs

Jun 12, 2007 - 1:59 PM Seattle (34-26) at Chicago Cubs (28-34) 8:05 pm EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Seattle Mariners have been pounding the opposition lately. They'll take aim at Rich Hill and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday when they travel to Wrigley Field for the beginning a three-game interleague series.

Coming off a makeup date at Cleveland in which they captured an 8-7 win, the Mariners are now averaging 6.33 runs per game over their past nine games. They are 8-1 over that stretch.

Hill (5-4, 2.71 ERA) is coming off an eight-inning, three-hit performance last Thursday at Atlanta where he earned his fifth win of the season. The lefthander also tied a career high with 11 strikeouts.

The win over the Braves broke up a string of five straight starts without a victory for the 27-year-old.

Hill has made just one start against an American League team in his young career, getting pounded by the White Sox for seven runs in four innings last season.

The Mariners will counter with Jarrod Washburn (5-5, 3.94). The veteran lefthander has been struggling lately, giving up five runs and nine hits in each of his last two starts, and failing to make it out of the fifth inning in either game.

Washburn has been good on the road, however, going 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA in four starts away from Safeco Field.

Seattle will be going up against former manager Lou Piniella, who led the Mariners to 840 wins and three division titles from 1993-2002.