Seager starts at third for 100th straight game

ST. LOUIS -- Kyle Seager has quietly turned into Mr. Reliable for the Mariners as the young third baseman was in the starting lineup for the 100th consecutive game when he was penciled in for Friday's series opener against the Cardinals.

Seager's 100 consecutive starts is a franchise record for third basemen, breaking the previous record of 86 set by Adrian Beltre over the 2005-06 seasons.

His streak is currently the fifth longest in Major League Baseball among third basemen over the past five seasons, and is the second-longest active streak behind the 197 of Baltimore's Manny Machado.

"He has a great routine, really takes good care of himself. Those are the biggest things," manager Eric Wedge said. "And he's obviously been a very consistent contributor for us. He wants to play every day, which deserves respect in and of itself. But the reason he can play every day is because of how he goes about his business and the consistency of his play.

"You've got to have that. When you get to the point where you're playing for something this time of year and you're in the race, you've got to have guys you can pencil in every day. He's proven to be one of those guys."

Seager has played the most games of any Mariner this season, sitting out just twice so far (April 9 against the Astros and May 22 vs. the Angels).