Mariners Acquire Four Detroit Players for Fister and Pauley

After a disappointing shutout in Friday's game against Tampa Bay, the Mariners officially announced the trade of right-handed pitcher Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley to Detroit.  The Mariners picked up outfielder Casper Wells, left-handed pitcher Charlie Furbush, third basemen Francisco Martinez and a player to be named in the next few weeks. 

The Mariner's suffered a harrowing 8-0 shut-out last night to Tampa Bay where a disastrous second inning scored all eight runs for the Rays. Erik Bedard, coming off the disabled list with a sprained left knee, struggled in his command of his pitches and lacked confidence in his fastball. Despite the recent liveliness in the M's bats, last night's game produced a meager three hits giving no chance of the M's catching up to the Rays.

With the recent haul of players from Detroit, the Mariners look to the future in hopes of waking up the offense and working in another pitcher to the valuable bullpen. Furbush and Wells will suit up for today's game while Martinez will report to AA Jackson. Wells was hitting .257 for the Tigers with four homeruns and 12 RBIs. Furbush has gone 1-for-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 17 appearances. Martinez was batting .282 with seven homeruns for AA Erie.

Hopefully the new acquisitions to the roster will set off the bats once again and create some run support for the pitching staff. The future was looking bright for the Mariner's offense after much of the lineup was getting on base and driving in runs during the long road trip. Once again, disappointment was in the air as fans were left with a game ending in three runs total and perhaps the start of another losing streak. 

Wells and Furbush look to add a helping hand as they suit up for Sunday's game.  Today, Pineda takes the mound against Alex Cobb in the second game of the series against Tampa Bay.