Mariners Try To Stay Hot Against Tigers
(Sports Network) - The Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers are set to square off tonight, as the two teams continue their four-game series at Safeco Field.Jamie Burke finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored on Friday, as the Mariners downed the Tigers, 4-1, in the second game of the set. Raul Ibanez clubbed a solo home run and Jose Lopez added a two-run double for Seattle, which has won six of its last eight games. Erik Bedard (6-4) went just five innings and allowed one run on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks, but still came away with the victory. Sean Green scattered two hits over 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief. Brandon Morrow recorded the final four outs to earn his sixth save. Miguel Cabrera homered for the Tigers, who have dropped three of their last four on the heels of a six-game win streak. Clete Thomas was 2-for-3 with a walk. Kenny Rogers (6-6) gave up four runs on six hits in 7 2/3 innings to absorb the loss for Detroit. Tigers' catcher Ivan Rodriguez was ejected in the ninth inning by home plate umpire Brian Knight for arguing. He went 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to nine games Detroit was expected to have one of the top pitching staffs in baseball this season, but no one predicted that Armando Galarraga would be the best of the bunch for the Tigers at the midway point of the season. The righty is 7-2 with a 3.40 ERA, impressive considering that his career consisted of three pitching appearances prior to the start of this campaign. Galarraga has never faced the Mariners. R.A. Dickey will get the ball for Seattle tonight, and the hope is that he can improve his 2-4 record and 4.53 ERA. Dickey has only allowed three home runs in 47 2/3 innings of work, but he has allowed 54 hits to go along with 17 walks. Clearly, there is room for improvement. The Mariners' hurler has a 2.45 ERA in two outings against Detroit this season, but he did not figure in the decision in either contest. Detroit has won six of eight from the Mariners this season and nine of 12 in this series dating back to last year. The Tigers have also won four of their last six in the Emerald City and 10 of their last 15 there since the start of the 2006 campaign.
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.






