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Seattle Mariners

Mariners Pregame: Happy Felix Day, lineups and starters

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez, second from right, is checked out by manager Scott Servais (9) and a trainer in a game against the Houston Astros on April 3, 2017, in Houston. (Eric Christian Smith / Associated Press)
By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

Game 76: The Seattle Mariners (38-37) host the first place Houston Astros (50-24) in the first of a three-game weekend series at 7:10 p.m. at Safeco Field.

The Mariners completed a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Thursday with a 9-6 win behind RHP Andrew Moore’s solid MLB debut and two home runs by Robinson Cano, including a grand slam that sealed the deal.

Seattle has won five in a row to inch above .500 (38-37) for the first time this season. The M’s are 24-13 at Safeco.

Houston has won four straight and enters play leading the A.L. West by the biggest margin of any division leader in baseball, 12 1/2 games over the Mariners. Both teams are 6-4 over their last 10 games.

The M’s welcome back RHP Felix Hernandez off the disabled list. Hernandez, 31, was placed on the D.L. on April 26 with right shoulder inflammation. He was 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA (six earned runs in 13 innings) with 16 strikeouts in three rehab starts with AAA Tacoma.

To make room on the active roster, Moore was sent back to Tacoma. The team has two off days next week and doesn’t need a fifth starter until the following weekend.

Lineups and starters

Courtesy @MarinersPR
Courtesy @MarinersPR

Starters: RHP Felix Hernandez (2-2, 4.73) vs. RHP Joe Musgrove (4-6, 5.09)

Mariners Notes

  • Veteran hurler Felix Hernandez has 156 career wins. With one more win, he’ll become the all-time winningest Venezuelan-born pitcher in Major League history, passing former Mariner Freddy Garcia for the most career wins by a Venezuelan-born pitcher.
  • Hernandez already holds several MLB records by a Venezuelan-born pitcher, including starts (364), most innings pitched (2442.1) and most strikeouts (2286).

This Day in Mariners History

In 1993, Jay Buhner became the first player in Mariners history to hit for the cycle. He slugged a grand slam in the first inning, a double in the third, a single in the fifth and a triple in the 14th. He scored the winning run in the 14th to beat Oakland in the Kingdome.