Worth noting

• It's no secret the Mariners' offense has struggled lately, scoring only 12 runs in its last six games (all losses). While players like Ackley and Miller continue to make contact, the lineup's bigger bats haven't been able to bring baserunners home.

"We need those guys in the middle to do more," Wedge said. "You know what, we need those guys in the middle to start cruising, getting some big hits for us. But we still need to do it from one through nine. I felt like we were getting pretty close to it for a while, so my goal right now is just to get things back on line here to where we can keep moving forward."

• With six more strikeouts, Felix Hernandez will record his fifth straight 200-strikeout season, which will match Randy Johnson, who did it from 1991-95, for the club record for consecutive 200-strikeout years.

Hernandez struck out only two in Wednesday's 12-4 loss to the Rangers, allowing a career-high eight earned runs on 11 hits and a walk in three-plus innings.