San Diego Padres (16-28) at Seattle Mariners (17-27) 4-2
The Seattle Mariners will try to win consecutive games for the first time in almost a month when they host the San Diego Padres in the finale of a three-game interleague set at Safeco Field.
Seattle is 17-27 on the season and hasn't posted two straight wins since April 20-22. Those victories came in a finale with the Angels and an opener with the Orioles, meaning the Mariners haven't won a series since sweeping a two-game set with Oakland on April 16-17.
The Mariners seemed poised to break that skid, as they have won four of their last five against the Padres and have won 10 of their last 14 against them.
In Saturday's test, Adrian Beltre's two-run homer broke a tie in the seventh inning, as Seattle used a solid Erik Bedard start to slip past San Diego, 4-2.
Bedard (3-2), who didn't last past the second inning in his previous start, fanned 10 while allowing just two runs and five hits in his eight innings on the mound. J.J. Putz put the tying run on base in the ninth inning, but managed to record his fourth save of the season.
Ichiro Suzuki was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a steal and an RBI double. His stolen base tied the franchise's stolen base record of 290, held by Julio Cruz.
Randy Wolf (2-4) was on top of his game until the seventh, but the lefty finished with the loss after being charged for three runs on seven hits through 6 1/3 innings for San Diego, which has dropped three of four.
San Diego registered just six hits, as Adrian Gonzalez provided the runs with a two-run homer. Brian Giles tallied two hits in defeat and has upped his average 37 points over his last three games, as he is nine for his last 12 at the plate. Giles is now hitting .296 on the season, though he is just a career .222 batter versus the Mariners.
Seattle starts Felix Hernandez tonight. The 22-year-old is in the midst of a rough stretch, as he has lost each of his last four starts -- the longest skid of his young career -- while pitching to a 6.08 earned run average in that time. He was better last time out when he faced the Rangers in Texas, allowing three runs (2 earned) on six hits and a season-high five walks over six frames of a 5-2 setback.
Hernandez, who is 2-4 on the season with a 3.38 ERA, is 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA in three career starts versus the Padres.
Shawn Estes will make just his second start in over two years tonight for the Padres. Estes made a start on April 5, 2006 and was then out until this past year due to Tommy John surgery. After returning to the big leagues with a relief appearances on May 8, he started against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and picked up the win. The left-hander held the Cubs to three runs (2 earned) on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Estes has made three lifetime starts versus Seattle and is 0-2 against the club with a 5.28 ERA, though he faces the franchise for the first time since 2001. He has 18 walks allowed versus the Mariners in 15 1/3 innings.
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