In the Seattle Mariners 2012 schedule, there are 29 games in the month of May. That’s 29 games in the first 30 days alone, taking the Mariners to the East Coast and back again. The team has 16 road games and 13 home games, with a huge seven-game homestand against the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels taking place in the fourth week of May. It’s definitely an important month for the American League West standings and could dictate if the Mariners are contenders or sellers heading towards the trading deadline.

Seattle Mariners May 2012 Schedule

Tuesday, May 1

Seattle at Tampa Bay Rays, TBD

Wednesday, May 2

Seattle at Tampa Bay, TBD

Thursday, May 3

Seattle at Tampa Bay

Friday, May 4

Minnesota Twins at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT

Saturday, May 5

Minnesota at Seattle, 6:10 p.m. PT

Sunday, May 6

Minnesota at Seattle, 1:10 p.m. PT

Monday, May 7

Detroit Tigers at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT

Tuesday, May 8

Detroit at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT

Wednesday, May 9

Detroit at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT

Friday, May 11

Seattle at New York Yankees, 4:05 p.m. PT

Saturday, May 12

Seattle at New York, 1:05 p.m. PT

Sunday, May 13

Seattle at New York, TBD

Monday, May 14

Seattle at Boston Red Sox, 4:10 p.m. PT

Tuesday, May 15

Seattle at Boston, 1:05 p.m. PT

Wednesday, May 16

Seattle at Cleveland Indians, TBD

Thursday, May 17

Seattle at Cleveland, TBD

Friday, May 18

Seattle at Colorado Rockies, 5:40 p.m. PT

Saturday, May 19

Seattle at Colorado, 1:10 p.m. PT

Sunday, May 20

Seattle at Colorado, 12:10 p.m. PT

Monday, May 21

Texas Rangers at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT

Tuesday, May 22

Texas at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT

Wednesday, May 23

Texas at Seattle, 12:40 p.m. PT

Thursday, May 24

Los Angeles Angels at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT

Friday, May 25

L.A. Angels at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT

Saturday, May 26

L.A. Angels at Seattle, 4:15 p.m. PT

Sunday, May 27

L.A. Angels at Seattle, 1:10 p.m. PT

Monday, May 28

Seattle at Texas, TBD

Tuesday, May 29

Seattle at Texas, TBD

Wednesday, May 30

Seattle at Texas, TBD

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Despite interest from at least one other team, the Seattle Mariners are holding on to catcher Miguel Olivo for the 2012 MLB season. It seems that the franchise feels that there is nobody to replace him from within the system, and that Olivo has just about become an untouchable player as the franchise continues the rebuilding process.

The team showing interest in Olivo is the Minnesota Twins, obviously hoping that they can bring in someone to help give All-Star Joe Mauer a bit of rest. Mauer could then play some time at first base and designated hitter during the long season, taking some of the wear-and-tear off of his body. It is thought that Mauer’s career will not last as long if he remains behind the plate, and this move would have brought in a suitable replacement.

Last season for the Mariners, Olivo had 19 home runs and 62 RBIs to lead the team in both categories. He played in 130 games for the team, but he didn’t post a very good batting average. His .224 mark wasn’t all that good, and it caused a number of fans to get frustrated throughout the season. He also had 140 strikeouts, but did put up some of the best power numbers in baseball for a catcher. That and his veteran abilities behind the plate must have perked the ears of people in the Twins organization.

One of the big problems that the Mariners have is no depth at catcher, relying on a number of guys to step in when Olivo wasn’t able to go. Josh Bard was the last man to get that role, but it is possible that Adam Moore or Chris Gimenez will get healthy enough to be the backup catcher in 2012. Olivo has one more year left on his current deal, which gives the Mariners a little more time to figure out who the catcher of the future will become, but time is running out to grow one within the system.

Maybe the offer from Minnesota wasn’t that good, or maybe the Mariners wanted too much in return for Olivo, but parently the front office enjoys having him around much more than they did the first time. This clearly means that Olivo is the catcher for 2012 whether fans like it or not.

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References:

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*Ryan is a lifelong Seattle Mariners fan who never misses an opportunity to attend a game at Safeco Field. He has been attending games since 1985, and has fond memories of The Kingdome, Edgar Martinez, and the historic 1995 team. Sodo Mojo!

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Read More: twins baseball, minnesota twins baseball, mariners baseball, seattle mariners baseball, mariners at twins, mariners vs twins, twins mariners score, twins mariners rec, twins losing streak, minnesota twins losing streak, Wily Mo Pena (LF – SEA), Miguel Olivo (C – SEA), Michael Cuddyer (RF – MIN), Kevin Slowey (P – MIN), Ichiro Suzuki (RF – SEA), Adam Kennedy (DH – SEA), Phil Dumatrait (P – MIN), Anthony Swarzak (P – MIN), Trayvon Robinson (CF – SEA), Trevor Plouffe (SS – MIN), Brian Dinkelman (LF – MIN), Danny Valencia (3B – MIN), Justin Smoak (1B – SEA), Chris Parmelee (1B – MIN), Joe Benson (CF – MIN), Dustin Ackley (2B – SEA), Ben Revere (CF – MIN), Kyle Seager (3B – SEA), Blake Beavan (P – SEA), Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins, Sep 21, 2011 7:10 PM CDT

Things looked good early for the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night at Target Field against the Seattle Mariners, just as they had the night before. Things were even looking good for Kevin Slowey, the man who hadn’t won since coming back to the Twins in August and had dropped six consecutive starts. Unfortunately, in the end, things wound up exactly the same on Wednesday as they did on Tuesday, right down to the final score.

The Twins dropped their eleventh consecutive game on Wednesday night, falling to the Mariners by the same 5-4 score that they lost by on Wednesday. Again the Twins had the lead early, and again their starter fell art to let the opposing team back into the game.

Minnesota struck first in this one, as Chris Parmelee’s RBI single in the bottom of the first brought home Ben Revere and gave the Twins an early 1-0 lead. Joe Benson added an RBI double in the bottom of the second to score Trevor Plouffe and extend the lead to 2-0.

The score would stay that way until the top of the sixth inning. Slowey had a no-hitter at that point, and quickly retired the first two batters of the inning to keep it going. Ichiro Suzuki broke up the no-hit bid with an infield single, and he came home on Kyle Seager’s double to cut Minnesota’s lead to 2-1. Dustin Ackley then followed that up with another double to score Seager and tie the game at two before Slowey got out of the inning.

The Mariners took the lead in the top of the seventh. Justin Smoak led off the inning with a single, and was lifted for pinch-runner Wily Mo Pena. Miguel Olivo then followed that with another single, and Adam Kennedy sacrificed the runners to second and third. After Slowey retired Adam Liddi on strikes, Trayvon Robinson laced a single to right to score Pena and Olivo to give the Mariners a 4-2 lead. Slowey was lifted at that point for Phil Dumatrait, who promptly gave up a double to Ichiro, scoring Robinson and extending Seattle’s lead to 5-2.

Minnesota got a little closer in the bottom of the eighth on Brian Dinkelman’s RBI single, cutting the Seattle lead to 5-3. The Twins peared to be rallying in the bottom of the ninth, as Parmelee and Michael Cuddyer reach on back-to-back singles with one out, putting runners on the corners. Danny Valencia lifted a fly ball to center that wasn’t deep enough to score the run for the second out, but Plouffe came through with a single to score Parmelee and make it a 5-4 game. League regrouped, however, and retired Dinkelman on a roller in front of home plate to end the game.

Slowey ended up taking the loss, his seventh in a row since rejoining the Twins. The eleven-game losing streak the Twins are currently on is now the third-longest in team history, behind a 14-game slide in 1982 and a 13-game skid in 1961. The lone highlight of the night would have to be Parmelee, who went 3-for-4 on the evening, raising his average to .413 during his time in Minnesota.

The Twins will try to keep things from getting any worse on Thursday afternoon, the last day game at Target Field this season. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 PM Central time. The pitching match-up for this one will see right-hander Anthony Swarzak (3-7, 4.52 ERA) take the ball for the Twins, while righty Blake Beavan (5-5, 3.92 ERA) will go to the hill for Seattle.

MINNEOLIS ()—Most of the current Minnesota Twins weren’t alive the
last time the team struggled this badly. Kevin Slowey(notes) even dipped into Greek
mythology to describe the frustration.

Ichiro Suzuki(notes) stopped Slowey’s no-hitter with a two-out infield single in
the sixth inning and added an RBI double in the seventh, spurring the Seattle
Mariners to a 5-4 victory Wednesday night in Minnesota, the 11th straight defeat
for the Twins.

“At this point in this clubhouse, it’s like we’re watching the fate of
Sisyphus himself. Get to the top of that hill and just can’t seem to figure it
out, so it’s been pretty tough,” Slowey said, referencing the mythical king
who, the story went, was punished for eternity by pushing a boulder up a steep
hill only to watch it roll back down to the bottom each time.

This is the third-longest losing streak in Minnesota’s 51-season history,
behind a 14-game skid in 1982 and the 13 in a row they dropped in 1961, the
first year here after the franchise moved west from Washington.

The Twins (59-95) still need two more wins to top their worst finish in
Minnesota, 60-102 in 1982, and they’ve already secured the third-worst record
the club has ever had.

With dozens of millions of dollars in high-salaried players long done for
the season due to a variety of injuries, this pieced-together bunch of middling
prospects, former first-round draft picks and the few veterans healthy enough to
play has been figuratively banging their heads against the wall trying to end
this September slide and finish on a less-dour note.

“I’d much rather win than get three or four hits,” said rookie first
baseman Chris Parmelee(notes), who had three more hits, including an RBI single. He’s
batting .413 with nine RBIs in 13 games since being brought up from Double-A New
Britain.

Mariners closer Brandon League(notes), who esced a ninth-inning, no-out,
bases-loaded situation to preserve the win the night before, gave up a two-out
RBI single to Trevor Plouffe(notes) before retiring Brian Dinkelman(notes) on a roller in
front of the plate with two runners on.

League has 36 saves in 41 attempts this season. This was the first run he’s
allowed against the Twins in 16 innings.

Trayvon Robinson’s(notes) two-run, two-out single in the seventh inning gave the
Mariners the lead and sent Slowey (0-7) off the mound. He has lost all seven
starts since he was recalled from Triple-A and reinserted in the rotation he
helped anchor the past three-plus years. The right-hander began the season in
the bullpen, got hurt and was sent to the minors to rehabilitate until returning
a month ago.

Suzuki was the only baserunner to reach over the first five innings, when
the shortstop Plouffe dropped the ball for an error while taking it out of his
glove to start his throw. Kyle Seager(notes) and Dustin Ackley(notes) followed Suzuki’s single
in the sixth with consecutive sharply hit doubles, and Slowey’s lead was
suddenly gone.

Slowey hasn’t walked a batter in his last 22 innings, and he struck out six,
but this was another familiar start—breezing through the early innings and
hitting a big bump.

“I’m going to look at the first five innings and try to repeat that. We’re
running out of time. I’m running out of time,” he said.

Plouffe grounded into a 1-2-3 double play with no outs and the bases loaded
in the fifth against reliever Jeff Gray(notes), and Dinkelman grounded out to end that
inning. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was upset that Plouffe wasn’t more patient.

“That guy was in trouble, and we took him right out of trouble,”
Gardenhire said.

The Twins went 4 for 18 with runners in scoring position, and they’re 24 for
151—a .159 batting average—while losing 16 of their last 17 games.

Mariners starter Michael Pineda(notes), in his final pearance of what has been a
fine rookie season, gave up six hits, two walks and two runs while striking out
two over four innings. He threw 81 pitches.

This was Pineda’s 28th start, and the 22-year-old Dominican finished with
173 strikeouts in 171 innings with a 3.74 ERA.

“I’m very, very proud of me, because I finished strong,” Pineda said.

The Twins won’t be able to say that about this season.

NOTES: The Twins passed the 3 million mark in paid attendance for the second
straight season and the third in franchise history. Their first was 1988. … Of
the 29 players suited up for this series for the Mariners, 17 of them weren’t
with the team when they visited Minnesota in May. … RH Anthony Swarzak(notes) (3-7)
pitches for the Twins in the series finale, the last day game of the season at
Target Field, against Mariners RH Blake Beaven (5-5). Beaven is coming off an
eight-inning shutout victory over division-leading Texas. Swarzak hasn’t won
since Aug. 3.

CLEVELAND () — Former major league general manager Joe McIlvaine was hired as a special assistant to Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik on Monday.

The Mariners announced the move in Seattle, shortly after beating the Cleveland Indians 12-6 in a game shortened to seven innings by rain.

The 64-year-old McIlvaine served as general manager of the San Diego Padres and New York Mets during the 1990s. He has been with the Minnesota Twins since 1998, the last 11 years as a special assistant.

“Joe has had success as a general manager, a scouting director (including internationally), a front office executive and in the role of special assistant,” Zduriencik said in a release issued by the team. “He is a very versatile talent evaluator, and adding him to our staff in Seattle makes us a stronger organization. I am looking forward to working closely with him.”

Before joining the Twins, McIlvaine was director of baseball operations for the Padres (October 1990 to July 1993) and Mets (July 1993 to July 1997). He also served as GM for both teams.

He previously served in a variety of roles with the Mets for 10 years starting in 1980.

McIlvaine began his career as a territorial scout for Baltimore from 1974-76. He then scouted for the California Angels and Milwaukee Brewers.

Copyright 2011 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(Sports Network) – Dan Haren hopes to sn a two-start losing streak this
evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim begin a three-game series with
the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium.

Haren’s most recent loss came at the hands of the Mariners on Wednesday when
he allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2/3 innings of a 2-1 loss. He struck
out seven in the hard-luck decision, but fell to 13-8 on the year to go along
with a 3.16 ERA.

“I go out there and do what I can. I haven’t had the best of luck lately, but
it was a tough loss for the team,” Haren said after the game.

Haren has faced the Mariners 18 times and is 9-5 against them with a 2.51 ERA.

On Sunday, Bobby Abreu homered and scored twice as the Angels took a 4-1
victory over the Minnesota Twins in the finale of a three-game set.

Joel Pineiro (6-6) earned his first win since July 9, going seven innings and
allowing one run on five hits and a walk.

“It feels nice. I was able to keep the ball down and I mixed my pitches,”
Pineiro said.

Jordan Walden pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his 28th save of the year.

The Angels still sit 3 1/2 games behind Texas for first place in the AL West.

Seattle, meanwhile, has been relegated to the role of spoiler and comes into
tonight’s opener having lost four in a row following an 8-5 setback to Oakland
on Sunday. Dustin Ackley hit a two-run homer and Luis Rodriguez added two RBI
for the Mariners, who have lost eight of 10 overall.

Blake Beavan (3-5) allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings to take
the loss. The right-hander is 0-3 over his last five starts.

To make things worse for the 58-81 Mariners, outfielders Casper Wells and
Franklin Gutierrez left the game with injuries. Both are questionable for
tonight’s affair.

Hoping to turn things around tonight will be rookie Anthony Vazquez, who is
1-1 with a 11.57 ERA. After winning his big league debut, Vasquez was banged
around by the Angels on Tuesday for eight runs (seven earned) and seven hits
in just four innings.

“A little bit of it is nerves, but you can’t make excuses,” Vasquez said.
“First time up here you’re trying to get out of the gate the right way and it
just hasn’t hpened.”

The Angels have won 10 of their 16 matchups with the Mariners this season,
including six of the seven meetings at the Big A.

The Sports Network