Mariners look to rebound at home vs. improving Angels (May 02, 2017)
SEATTLE -- Following a day off to regroup, the Seattle Mariners return home after dropping the final two games of a 10-game road trip to take on the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series between American League West rivals.
Left-hander James Paxton (3-0, 1.39 ERA) starts for the Mariners.
Right-hander Matt Shoemaker (1-1, 4.73) gets the nod for the Angels, returning to Safeco Field for his first time since sustaining a season-ending skull fracture Sept. 4 when he was hit in the head by a 105 mph liner off the bat of Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager.
The Angels arrive in Seattle having won six of their past seven games, pushing them above .500 for April at 14-13.
The Mariners ended the first month with an 11-15 mark, and the recent road trip was reflective of their inconsistency. Seattle dropped the first three games of the trip to the Athletics, won four of the next five, then saw a chance for a winning trip evaporate by losing the last two in Cleveland.
"Interesting trip, we lose the first three out of the gate to Oakland, come back and then play pretty good in Detroit and get a couple things rolling -- the one inning (Saturday), the one inning (Sunday), it did get us," manager Scott Servais said following the Mariners' 12-4 loss to the Indians on Sunday. "So, there were some positives, but if you win the ballgame (Sunday), you win the series and you split on the trip, and it didn't happen."
Paxton, 28, has been the Mariners' best pitcher by far, allowing a misleading five runs in 32 1/3 innings. In four of his five starts, he did not allow a run, pitching at least six scoreless innings in each of those outings. His only stumble was at Oakland on April 20, when he gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, although he did not get a decision in the Mariners' 9-6 loss.
Paxton bounced back in his last start, holding the Tigers to four hits with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings. He has struck out 39 while walking just six. He is holding opposing hitters to a .179 average and has not given up a home run.
Paxton has had success in his career against two of the Angels' top hitters. Mike Trout is 2-for-20 against Paxton with no homers and 10 strikeouts. Albert Pujols is 4-for-20 with two homers.
Shoemaker won for the first time in five starts in his last outing, allowing two runs on seven hits in five innings against the A's. He has allowed exactly two runs in four of his five starts.
Shoemaker has faced the Mariners once this season, his worst outing of the year, when he allowed seven runs -- six earned -- on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He did not take the loss as the Angels rallied with seven runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 10-9 victory on April 9.
In that game, Seager grounded out twice against Shoemaker.
The Angels got some bad news Monday, learning that starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks due to a right oblique strain. Skaggs is 1-1 with a 3.99 ERA though five starts this season.
Still, Los Angeles is in a better place than it was a week ago thanks to its recent winning form.
"We feel good about some things that look like they're moving in the right direction, and some things we have to get going," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. "We're not in great shape coming out of April, as far as what our record is. But we've held our own enough to hopefully get settled and start and be that consistent team."
