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Mariners, Tigers play rubber match in Detroit

Aug 17, 2014 - 1:45 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Seattle Mariners will play the rubber match of their three-game series against the Detroit Tigers Sunday at Comerica Park.

The Mariners will send veteran Chris Young to the mound in the finale. Young has been sturdy this season, and he'll try to pick up a victory against youngster Robbie Ray, who earns the starting nod for Detroit.

Young comes into the contest with an 11-6 record, and sports an impressive 3.20 earned run average with 88 total strikeouts. In his past five starts, Young has pitched to a 3-0 record and the Mariners have won the last four games in which he has been on the mound.

Young's last outing was brilliant. The 35-year-old righty lasted six innings in which he gave up just two hits and one run. It was his longest outing since a July 26 start against Baltimore, when he went seven innings.

Against Detroit in his career, Young has started six games and is 1-0 with a 2.14 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP.

Ray, meanwhile, continues to fill in for the injured Anibal Sanchez and is 1-2 this season with a 5.31 ERA.

He went five innings against the Pirates Tuesday in place of Sanchez, and surrendered four runs on six hits, and matched his season-high five strikeouts in the loss.

At home in the confines of Comerica Park, Ray is 1-1 in three starts with eight punch outs, six walks and a 4.91 ERA.

Detroit moved a half game in front of the Mariners in the AL wild card chase Saturday as Felix Hernandez was outdueled by David Price in the Tigers' 4-2 win.

Price picked up the win for the Tigers after pitching eight innings of three- hit, one-run ball. He also added seven strikeouts on the night.

"That was a huge moment for me," Price said of manager Brad Ausmus' visit to the mound in the eighth. "I wanted to finish that inning off, so I looked Brad straight in the eye and told him I was good to go. I didn't want to be one of those pitchers who looks down and mumbles that he's OK. I wanted to make sure he knew I was ready."

Hernandez (13-4) had gone 16 straight starts with at least seven innings and two or fewer runs allowed -- a major league record -- before faltering in this one. Hernandez pitched just five innings, yielding a pair of runs on seven hits.

"I was throwing a lot of pitches," said Hernandez. "From the beginning of the game. That was the key right there."

It was Hernandez's first start of fewer than six innings since May 2 against Houston.

Robinson Cano and Endy Chavez provided the only runs for the Mariners, who had a five-game winning streak stopped with the defeat.

Seattle still holds a 3-2 head-to-head advantage over Detroit this season entering Sunday's match.