Mariners 7 - 0 Padres
Final
  for this game

Walker goes after fifth straight win in finale with Padres

Jul 1, 2015 - 11:52 AM (SportsNetwork.com) - Taijuan Walker eyes his fifth straight win on Wednesday when the Seattle Mariners close out a brief two-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Walker has been terrific of late and was on Friday in Anaheim, as he held the Angels to a run and seven hits in seven innings. He also struck out six without walking a batter and improved to 6-6 with a 4.64 ERA.

After going 1-5 with a 7.33 ERA in his first nine games, Walker is 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA his last six. He's also issued just three walks in his last six starts and none in his last 21 1/3 innings.

"He's starting to grow up," said manager Lloyd McClendon. "That's not to say he's not going to have a tough one here or there, but the ability to slow things down and relax in pressure situations has been, in my mind, just unbelievable. The transformation has been so quick and he's made such a great statement that it's really nice to see."

Walker lost to the Padres earlier in the year in his only other start against them.

San Diego, meanwhile, will counter with righty James Shields, who has lost his last two starts after opening the season by winning his first seven decisions. Shields was roughed up by the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, as he was hammered for seven runs and nine hits in just four innings to balloon his ERA to 4.24.

"At the beginning of the game, they jumped on me early and got a couple runs," Shields said, "... I was making my pitches and they were finding holes."

Shields has faced the Mariners 15 times and is 5-4 against them with a 3.87 ERA.

Seattle received another superb effort from Mike Montgomery on Tuesday, as he tossed a one-hitter and the Mariners rolled, 5-0.

Montgomery (3-2) tossed his second straight shutout as he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished the game with seven strikeouts while walking four. He is the first Mariner to have consecutive shutouts since Freddy Garcia in 2001.

Brad Miller hit a two-run home run, Mike Zunino added a solo shot and Austin Jackson drove in one for the Mariners, who won for only the third time in eight games.

"We were better today, and we'll continue to get better," said Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. "We're still a work in progress."

Ian Kennedy (4-7) allowed four runs (1 earned) on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts over five innings for the Padres, who have lost four of their last six.

"Big homer by Miller there," said Kennedy. "You have to be pretty perfect when the other guy has a no-hitter going into the seventh inning."

These teams split a two-game series in Seattle earlier in the year.






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