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Indians-Mariners Preview

Jul 26, 2009 - 2:01 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Cleveland (39-58) at Seattle (51-45), 4:10 p.m. EDT

If Cliff Lee really is in his final days pitching for the Cleveland Indians, he's doing his best to go out on a positive note.

Coming off consecutive complete games, Lee looks for a third straight victory as the Indians try to conclude a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners on Sunday at Safeco Field.

As Friday's deadline approaches, Lee's name continues to be the subject of trade rumors. It's uncertain, however, if Cleveland (40-58) is serious about dealing last season's AL Cy Young Award winner - he's signed through 2010 and has spent his entire eight-year career with the Indians.

Several clubs had scouts present Tuesday in Toronto to watch Lee (6-9, 3.17 ERA) throw a seven-hitter in a 2-1 win over the Blue Jays for his third complete game of the season. It was the second straight outing in which the only run he gave up came on a homer, having allowed nine hits in a 4-1 win over Seattle on July 16 to snap a three-game losing streak.

Lee is the first Cleveland pitcher to throw consecutive complete games with no walks since CC Sabathia in July 2006. He's never gone the distance in three straight starts.

"He's definitely the guy you want to send out there," manager Eric Wedge told the Indians' official Web site. "That's where he's at and who he is."

Lee is 8-1 with a 3.42 ERA in 11 starts versus the Mariners, and has thrown complete games in his last two starts against them. That doesn't bode well for Seattle (51-46), which has been outscored 19-3 in this series after falling 10-3 on Saturday.

The Indians look to match their season high with a fourth straight victory while trying for their first three-game sweep at Seattle since July 28-30, 1998. Cleveland won four in a row against Tampa Bay from May 25-28 - the only time they've swept a series this season.

On Saturday, Ryan Garko homered for the second straight day and Jhonny Peralta drove in three runs for Cleveland, which has won a season-high three in a row on the road.

Also a subject of trade rumors, Garko is 4 for 9 with two homers and five RBIs in this series. Peralta is 6 for 13 (.462) in his last three games versus the Mariners, who've scored seven runs in their last four games.

Ichiro Suzuki had two hits and Russell Branyan an RBI on Saturday for Seattle, which scored all of its runs in the ninth inning.

Suzuki is batting .358 overall and is 9 for 24 (.375) versus Cleveland this season. He's 10 for 36 (.278) versus Lee.

Though the Mariners' 3.75 ERA is still among the lowest in the majors, they've allowed 28 runs in their three losses over the last five games.

As manager Don Wakamatsu continues to mull his options for the fifth starter spot, Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.82) is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to pitch Sunday.

The left-hander, who has never faced the Indians, hasn't pitched in the majors since allowing three hits in five scoreless innings of a 5-3 loss to Baltimore on July 8.