Seattle vs Tampa Bay ----- Game 1 - Revolution42's Blog

Revolution42's Blog

Seattle vs Tampa Bay ----- Game 1

Posted on April 21, 2009 at 03:44 AM.

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SEA: LHP Jarrod Washburn (2-0, 1.29 ERA)
The veteran left-hander retired the first 12 batters he faced in his previous outing on Wednesday, extending his scoreless streak to 12 innings to start the season. Both streaks ended during a two-batter sequence in the fifth, when a single and a home run put a dent in his first home outing of the season. Even so, he took the game through six innings on 87 pitches. TB: RHP Andy Sonnanstine (0-1, 6.52 ERA)
Sonnanstine looked sharp in his last outing, his second of the season, when he held the Yankees to two runs over five innings in a no-decision on Wednesday. The right-hander is a master of deception, employing an array of pitches he can throw from all different angles. But he has learned to primarily use his fastball to setup the other pitches. Among those other pitches, Sonnanstine has added a changeup to his repertoire this spring, which he is fast gaining confidence in the more he masters it. The right-hander's mantra is to dispatch hitters one way or another in three pitches, which allows him to get deeper into the games and save the bullpen. Sonnanstine is 1-1 with a 2.66 ERA in three career starts against the Mariners, and he is 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA in two starts at Safeco Field.

Going into the three-game set against the Tigers, the Mariners had won back-to-back series for the first time since Aug. 25-31, 2008 (Minnesota and Cleveland). ... Johnson has a catcher's ERA of 2.16 (12 earned runs in 50 innings), the best in the Major Leagues. ... Going into Sunday, the Mariners were 4-1 vs. left-handed starters and 4-3 vs. right-handed starters. ... Seattle's pitching staff is second in the American League in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.57 strikeouts to one walk. ... The Mariners lead the AL with seven quality starts. They are 6-1 in those games.