Mariners notebook: Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager are on fire

HOUSTON – Day game after night game means it’s a quick turnaround, so just some brief notes this morning. The Mariners will take the field looking to lock up a very successful road trip wearing lots of pink in honor of Mother’s Day and to support breast cancer awareness. From the pink bats to the pink stitching on the game balls, to the pink on Steve Clevenger’s chest guard and a variety of pink shoes, including the Under Armor hot pink floral design and the Nike Swingman pink cleats, the Mariners are covered. In pink.

There have been a number of great stories about the Mariners’ moms this week. That includes one by Greg Johns, of mlb.com, about how Mike Montgomery’s mom’s contribution to his baseball career involved (and still does) much more than just driving him to his games, and Jim Caple, of espn.com, telling the story of how Taijuan Walker’s mom remains a big influence in his life. If you missed it, my Mother’s Day post about a mom who inspired a former Mariner to help mothers in the Dominican Republic can be found here.

Lineup!
Norichika Aoki, LF
Ketel Marte, SS
Robinson Cano, 2B
Kyle Seager, 3B
Seth Smith, RF
Adam Lind, 1B
Dae-Ho Lee, DH
Steve Clevenger, C
Leonys Martin, CF

Hisashi Iwakuma RHP

Nelson Cruz is out of the lineup today as Scott Servais thought it would be best to give him a break after getting hit on the forearm earlier in the series. Cruz said he was hit on the tendon and that it did bother him when he swung. He will be available to pinch hit if needed.

Two-man wrecking crew
How impressive have the duo of Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager been in May? In 7 games in May, the two are hitting .548 and .433, respectively. They have combined to hit five home runs, seven doubles and drive in 14 runs. To put that in fun perspective:

• This month they have hit more home runs than the Indians, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Phillies, Angels, Orioles, Royals, Yankees and Braves.
• They have hit more doubles than the Red Sox, Athletics, Tigers, Royals and Pirates.
• They have more RBI’s than the Braves and Orioles.

Notes:
– Taijuan Walker said his stiff neck was feeling much better Sunday morning. He threw a flat-ground session and remains on schedule for his Wednesday start.
– A win today would give the Mariners their first seven-series winning streak since 2001.
– The Mariners are 18-12 through their first 30 games, good to tie them for the fourth-best start through 30 in club history.
– After last night’s 3-2 win in 10 innings, the Mariners are now 7-5 in one-run games and have won their last six.
– Pitching probables for the series against the Rays:

Monday: Felix Hernandez vs LH Matt Moore
Tuesday: Wade Miley vs LH Drew Smyly
Wednesday: Taijuan Walker vs RH Chris Archer

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