=== Seattle Mariners Team Report - September 30 === (My Sportsbook) - The Mariners will try to continue playing spoiler today, when they finish up their four-game set with the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum. The Mariners will have righthander Ryan Franklin on the hill this afternoon. Franklin has lost 12 of his last three 13 decisions, but didn't figure into the outcome last Saturday versus Texas. The 31-year-old allowed six hits and three runs -- two earned -- over six innings, while fanning seven and walking two. Franklin is 0-1 with a 3.96 ERA in four starts against Oakland this season. For his career, Franklin is 3-2 with a 3.97 ERA versus the Athletics. Seattle posted a 4-2 victory over Oakland on Wednesday. Ichiro Suzuki had one hit for Seattle on Wednesday, bringing him to 255 on the season. He is now two hits shy of George Sisler's single-season record. Sisler set the mark in 1920 with the St. Louis Browns. Ichiro is currently on pace to set the record for most hits over any four-year span in the majors. That record is 918, held by Bill Terry (1929-1932). Ichiro has 917 hits since breaking into the majors in 2001. Sisler had 913 hits over four playing seasons, 1920-1924, missing all of 1923 because of an eye injury. The Mariners have won consecutive series for the first time since April 30-May 6, when they took two of three at Detroit and two of three from the Twins. Seattle, which is in the midst of a 10-game road trip, is only 25-54 in foreign ballparks this year. Oakland is 10-8 this year against the Mariners, including a 6-3 record at home. |
