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Mariners-Blue Jays Preview

Sep 25, 2009 - 4:03 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Seattle (79-73) at Toronto (69-83), 7:07 p.m. EDT

A lack of run support has plagued Toronto's Roy Halladay enough this season that his loss total is again adding up.

Likely making his second-to-last start of the year, Halladay tries to avoid matching his career high for losses when the Blue Jays face the visiting Seattle Mariners on Friday night.

While Halladay (15-10, 3.01 ERA) is a win shy of totaling at least 16 for a fourth straight year, the Toronto ace is also one loss away from tying his career high after finishing 20-11 a year ago - the first time he's reached double digits in that category.

Halladay, who's 2-5 with a 4.31 ERA in his last seven starts, allowed two runs and 10 hits in seven innings of a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Sunday. The 2003 AL Cy Young award winner has received 22 runs of support in his losses this season.

"He hasn't had a lot (of run support) lately," Toronto manager Cito Gaston said.

The right-hander is 5-4 with a 2.65 ERA in 12 starts against the Mariners, and allowed three runs and 11 hits in seven innings to take the loss in a 3-2 defeat at Seattle on July 29.

Halladay looks to help Toronto (69-84) bounce back after having its three-game winning streak snapped with a 5-4 loss in Thursday's series opener.

Franklin Gutierrez hit a two-run homer and Josh Wilson added a tiebreaking two-run triple in the eighth inning for Seattle (80-73), which has won six of eight and improved to 3-1 against the Blue Jays this year.

"That's a big two-out hit, especially at that time," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said of Wilson, who's batting .202. "I don't think you can have a more timely hit."

Ichiro Suzuki added two hits and is 10 for 18 against Toronto this season. The 2001 AL MVP is batting .355 this season, but .263 in his career versus Halladay.

Gutierrez, who's hit a career-high 17 homers, is hitting .353 with a home run against the Blue Jays in 2009.

Seattle could be without designated hitter Mike Sweeney, who left Thursday after being hit in the right foot by a pitch.

"I could hit, I just couldn't run," said Sweeney, who's batting .281 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 70 games.

Vernon Wells hit his 15th homer and drove in all four runs Thursday for Toronto, which was coming off a three-game sweep of Baltimore.

Despite batting .264 during a disappointing season, Wells is hitting .406 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 18 contests.

Wells and the Blue Jays will get their first look at Seattle's Doug Fister (2-3, 4.37), who'll try to avoid losing his third consecutive start in this contest.

The rookie right-hander allowed six runs and nine hits in four innings of a 10-1 loss to New York on Saturday. Fister is 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA after giving up two runs in 12 1-3 innings over his previous two starts.