Hector Noesi tries to follow up a brilliant effort his last time out when the Seattle Mariners open a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox at Safeco Field.
After getting rocked for seven runs in three innings of his Seattle debut, Noesi was terrific against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, scattering five hits over eight scoreless innings. He also struck out six and walked a batter.
"I think, number one, the first start was out of the way, a lot more comfortable -- he seemed more relaxed," Mariners pitching coach Carl Willis told the team's website. "All the things we had seen of him periodically in games during Spring Training, but more so in the bullpen, was his ability to command the fastball and the changeup, throw his secondary pitches when he needed to and [last time] he was able to execute that."
Noesi, one of the pieces the Mariners received from the Yankees as part of the Michael Pineda deal this winter, will be trying to help Seattle bounce back from a brutal loss on Thursday that saw them waste a sensational effort from Felix Hernandez.
Hernandez pitched eight innings and gave up just five hits and a walk with 12 strikeouts, but Brandon League (0-1) blew the save in the ninth and Seattle lost, 2-1.
"(Felix) had bases loaded with one out and, Felix does what Felix does, put up a zero on the board and unfortunately I couldn't do the same in the ninth," said League.
Chicago, meanwhile, lost for the fourth time in five tries on Thursday, falling 5-3 to Baltimore.
Gavin Floyd (1-2) took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. Alex Rios, Adam Dunn and Alexei Ramirez each knocked in a run for the White Sox, who struck out 16 times.
Taking the hill for Chicago tonight will be lefty Chris Sale, who is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA. Sale worked into the seventh inning and allowed one run to win his debut, then turned around to give up three runs in five innings in losing to Detroit his last time out.
This will be his first start against the Mariners.
The White Sox were 7-2 against the Mariners last season.
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