• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Orioles-Mariners Preview

Apr 19, 2010 - 1:48 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Baltimore (1-11) at Seattle (6-6), 10:10 p.m. EDT

The Seattle Mariners have received some excellent starting pitching during their homestand, although the last pitcher to take the mound ran into some trouble.

Doug Fister may be the perfect starter to get them back on track.

Fister takes the mound after a stellar outing in his last start when the Mariners open a three-game series Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles, who look to record their third win of the season.

Seattle (6-7) failed to complete a sweep of Detroit over the weekend, losing the finale of the three-game series 4-2 on Sunday.

Ian Snell gave up three runs in five innings, breaking a five-game streak of Seattle starters pitching at least six innings. The Mariners led 1-0 before Snell gave up a three-run homer in the third.

The loss snapped Seattle's four-game winning streak. The team's starters were 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in the previous five games and only one during that stretch gave up more than two runs.

The Mariners will try to bounce back against the Orioles (2-11), who snapped a nine-game losing streak with an 8-3 win at Oakland on Sunday. Seattle will open the series handing the ball to Fister (1-1, 1.50 ERA), who is coming off the best start of his brief major league career.

After throwing 96 pitches in four innings against Oakland on April 8, Fister pitched eight innings against the Athletics on Tuesday, giving up three hits and striking out four in a 3-0 victory.

"That was an amazing outing," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "He was outstanding from the get-go. He had command of all of his pitches, kept them off-balance and didn't walk anyone. ... He was just phenomenal."

The right-hander, who made 10 starts in 2009, has never faced the Orioles.

Fister will try to keep Baltimore from duplicating its best offensive game of the season. The eight runs Sunday were a season high and four of its 11 hits were for extra bases, including a two-run homer by Ty Wigginton in the ninth inning. Wigginton started the scoring with a two-run double in the third.

Baltimore scored 23 runs over the previous nine games, hitting .091 (5 for 55) with runners in scoring position.

"Oh, it's huge," Wigginton said of the win. "Hopefully now we can run a streak in the other direction."

Wigginton started at third base in place of Miguel Tejada, who was out with a sore hip but hopes to return in the next game or two.

Wigginton, who began the season in a reserve role, has made a case for more playing time. He leads Baltimore with four homers and 10 RBIs and ranks second with a .290 batting average.

Brad Bergesen (0-1, 11.74) will take the mound for Baltimore, trying to bounce back from a second straight disappointing outing. The right-hander gave up eight runs - five earned - and seven hits in three innings of a 9-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

Bergesen has given up three home runs in 7 2-3 innings of his first two starts. He was 1-1 with a 2.14 ERA against Seattle last season, when he went 7-5 with a 3.43 ERA overall.

Ichiro Suzuki is 4 for 11 against Bergesen, continuing his productive career against Baltimore pitching. He has hit safely in 28 of his last 29 games against the Orioles, batting .349 with 15 RBIs and 24 runs.

Seattle won five of the nine meetings with Baltimore last year, but split six games at Safeco Field. The Orioles scored more than two runs in only two of those six games.