Mariners at Rockies
The Colorado Rockies thought their left-handed star of the future may have come in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, but little did they know he might have already been in the organization. Christian Friedrich will make his third career start when the Rockies host the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. With Drew Pomeranz – acquired from Cleveland last season – in Triple-A Colorado Springs working on his mechanics, Friedrich has provided Colorado with two quality outings, a huge lift to a team which hasn’t received much from its rotation or its heavily used bullpen.
Friedrich will face a Mariners’ team that hasn’t provided much run support for Jason Vargas with seven runs in his last four starts. Seattle, which won for only the second time in 14 road games with a 4-0 victory on Friday, hasn't scored much at all for anyone with 23 runs during its 2-6 road trip.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Seattle), ROOT Sports (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Jason Vargas (4-3, 3.28 ERA) vs. Rockies LH Christian Friedrich (1-0, 1.38)
Vargas allowed five runs and seven hits in six innings in a 6-1 loss at Boston in his last outing. He had allowed four runs in his three previous starts (1-1, no-decision). Vargas is 0-2 with an 18.00 ERA in two outings at Coors Field while with the Mets. The Rockies’ roster is hitting .241 against him, but Michael Cuddyer is 4-for-11.
Friedrich’s first two outings came at Petco Park in San Diego and AT&T Park in San Francisco – both pitcher-friendly venues with home teams lacking offensive punch. He has two walks and 17 strikeouts, including 10 on Monday in a no-decision against the Giants, and threw only 93 pitches in seven innings, 69 for strikes.
WALK-OFFS
1. Seattle second baseman Dustin Ackley went 0-for-4 on Friday to snap his 13-game hitting streak.
2. Mariners left-hander Lucas Luetge has a team-record 15 straight appearances to begin his major league career without allowing an earned run.
3. The Rockies entered Friday with a 5.67 ERA at home, the worst in the majors.