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Slowey, Silva square off when Twins face Mariners

Apr 8, 2009 - 5:03 AM By Andy Lefkowitz STATS Editor

Seattle (1-1) at Minnesota (1-1) 8:10 p.m. EDT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The 2008 season was completely forgettable for the Seattle Mariners. Carlos Silva has already started to make amends for that before even taking the mound.

A slimmed-down Silva will make his season debut for the Mariners as they continue their four-game series with the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.

One season into a four-year, $48 million deal, Silva ballooned to 285 pounds, and finished a career-worst 4-15 with a 6.46 ERA in 2008 - including a 1-15 record in his last 23 starts. That ineffectiveness was a major contributor to the Mariners' 61-101 record, their poorest in 25 years.

This year, Silva came to spring training 35 pounds lighter, and perhaps feeling a little contrite.

"The expectations were so high," he said during the exhibition season. "For me, I didn't show it to my teammates, to the fans. This year, it's time. ... I have to. But the thing I can tell you know is I expect to do well."

Silva recorded 47 of his 59 career wins playing for Minnesota from 2004-07. In his only start against the Twins last season, the right-hander allowed nine runs and nine hits over 3 1/3 innings of a 9-3 defeat Aug. 15.

Now, he'll try to help Seattle (1-1) bounce back from a stunning loss on Tuesday. Denard Span had a run-scoring single and Alexei Casilla singled home two more all with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning as Minnesota (1-1) rallied for a 6-5 win.

Mariners closer Brandon Morrow retired the first two batters he faced before walking the bases loaded. Miguel Batista relieved and Span followed by chopping an RBI infield single to third. Casilla lined the next pitch up the middle, scoring Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher to end the game.

"I was trying as hard as I could to throw it where I wanted it, but the ball just wasn't getting there," Morrow said. "Hopefully, I can come back tomorrow and it won't happen again."

Endy Chavez had three hits and drove in two for Seattle, which wasted a solid 2009 debut from Erik Bedard. The left-hander struck out eight and didn't walk a batter over five innings.

"Yeah, it seemed a little long there in the end," he said. "But luckily we still got 160 left."

After emerging as one of the Twins' aces last year, Kevin Slowey will take the mound for Minnesota. The right-hander was 12-11 with a 3.45 ERA in 2008, and his win total tied Glen Perkins for the team lead.

"He's just one of these kind of effortless guys," manager Ron Gardenhire told the Twins' official Web site. "He's a little guy who makes it look pretty easy when he's out there on the mound - throws strikes, works fast, uses all of his pitches and pitches to contact."

Though he's never faced the Mariners, Slowey will try to keep Ken Griffey Jr. from reaching another milestone if the major league's leading home run hitter among active players gets in the game.

Griffey has 612 homers, but his next will be his 400th in a Mariners uniform and will make him the first major leaguer to hit 400 with one club and 200 with another.

Griffey, who totaled 210 homers with Cincinnati from 2000-08, also has hit 25 in the Metrodome - the most he's had in any opposing ballpark. He went deep in Monday's season-opening 6-1 victory.