Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Meriners Live Streaming Major League Baseball Radio Station Audio Commentary Review, Schedule, Biography, Stats, Record, Power Ranking May 31, 2011. Erik Bedard is finally pitching like the Seattle Mariners envisioned when they acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles over three years ago.
Bedard looks to win his fourth straight decision and lead the Mariners to their 11th victory in 13 games when he takes the mound against his former team Tuesday night.
Bedard has made five trips to the disabled list since the trade and missed all of last season while recovering from left shoulder surgery -- his third in as many years. He got off to another rough start to this season, recording a 7.71 ERA in losing his first four outings, but he's 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA in five starts since.
"I've felt the same all the way the whole season, it's just now the results are getting better," Bedard said after allowing six hits in six innings in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Minnesota.
Bedard (3-4, 3.48) extended his scoreless innings streak to 15.
"He's just been very consistent with his fastball and his breaking ball and developing more confidence in his changeup," manager Eric Wedge said.
Bedard is still seeking his first win at Safeco Field since defeating Minnesota on June 7, 2009, a span of eight starts. He beat the Orioles at home five days earlier and is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA in two games against them, striking out 15 in 10 1/3 innings.
Bedard could be in line for another strong performance against struggling Baltimore (24-28).
The Mariners (27-26) won Monday's series opener 4-3, sending the Orioles to their fourth straight defeat following a five-game winning streak. Baltimore has scored 11 runs and is batting .129 (4 for 31) with runners in scoring position during its skid.
Nick Markakis, Baltimore's No. 3 hitter, is 2 for 15 (.133) in the last four games, while cleanup hitter Vladimir Guerrero is 3 for 15 (.200) with two RBIs.
"We're doing a lot of things that are frustrating, not just not hitting with runners in scoring position," catcher Matt Wieters said.
While the Orioles are trying to avoid their first five-game skid since dropping a season-high eight in a row April 9-18, Seattle is an AL-best 10-2 since May 18.
The Mariners defeated Baltimore for a fourth straight time at Safeco Field on Monday, as Ichiro Suzuki extended his streak of reaching base against the Orioles to 31 games. Suzuki has a .375 on-base percentage with 45 hits during the run.
However, he is batting .216 in May and will finish with his lowest average for any month of his career. His previous lowest average was .233 in August 2006.
The 10-time All-Star is hitting .308 (8 for 26) against scheduled starter Jeremy Guthrie, who is 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA in his last three starts versus the Mariners.
Guthrie (2-6, 3.63) allowed five runs and nine hits in seven innings in Thursday's 6-5, 12-inning win over Kansas City.
In his lone outing against the Mariners last season, the right-hander yielded six runs in eight innings of a 6-5 loss Aug. 18.
Bedard looks to win his fourth straight decision and lead the Mariners to their 11th victory in 13 games when he takes the mound against his former team Tuesday night.
10:10 PM ET, May 31, 2011
Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
Seattle obtained Bedard as part of a six-player trade in February 2008 after he went 13-5 for Baltimore the previous season. The left-hander has won only 14 games since then, however, as much of his time with the Mariners has been plagued by injuries.
Bedard has made five trips to the disabled list since the trade and missed all of last season while recovering from left shoulder surgery -- his third in as many years. He got off to another rough start to this season, recording a 7.71 ERA in losing his first four outings, but he's 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA in five starts since.
"I've felt the same all the way the whole season, it's just now the results are getting better," Bedard said after allowing six hits in six innings in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Minnesota.
Bedard (3-4, 3.48) extended his scoreless innings streak to 15.
"He's just been very consistent with his fastball and his breaking ball and developing more confidence in his changeup," manager Eric Wedge said.
Bedard is still seeking his first win at Safeco Field since defeating Minnesota on June 7, 2009, a span of eight starts. He beat the Orioles at home five days earlier and is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA in two games against them, striking out 15 in 10 1/3 innings.
Bedard could be in line for another strong performance against struggling Baltimore (24-28).
The Mariners (27-26) won Monday's series opener 4-3, sending the Orioles to their fourth straight defeat following a five-game winning streak. Baltimore has scored 11 runs and is batting .129 (4 for 31) with runners in scoring position during its skid.
Nick Markakis, Baltimore's No. 3 hitter, is 2 for 15 (.133) in the last four games, while cleanup hitter Vladimir Guerrero is 3 for 15 (.200) with two RBIs.
"We're doing a lot of things that are frustrating, not just not hitting with runners in scoring position," catcher Matt Wieters said.
While the Orioles are trying to avoid their first five-game skid since dropping a season-high eight in a row April 9-18, Seattle is an AL-best 10-2 since May 18.
The Mariners defeated Baltimore for a fourth straight time at Safeco Field on Monday, as Ichiro Suzuki extended his streak of reaching base against the Orioles to 31 games. Suzuki has a .375 on-base percentage with 45 hits during the run.
However, he is batting .216 in May and will finish with his lowest average for any month of his career. His previous lowest average was .233 in August 2006.
The 10-time All-Star is hitting .308 (8 for 26) against scheduled starter Jeremy Guthrie, who is 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA in his last three starts versus the Mariners.
Guthrie (2-6, 3.63) allowed five runs and nine hits in seven innings in Thursday's 6-5, 12-inning win over Kansas City.
In his lone outing against the Mariners last season, the right-hander yielded six runs in eight innings of a 6-5 loss Aug. 18.