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Padres-Mariners Preview

May 21, 2010 - 6:29 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

San Diego (24-17) at Seattle (15-26), 10:10 p.m. EDT

As the Seattle Mariners continue to struggle, they are hoping that it will help to have the pitcher with the best record in interleague play on the mound in their first game against an NL club.

The Mariners will give the ball to Cliff Lee on Friday night when they begin a three-game home series with the surprising San Diego Padres.

Expectations were high for Seattle (15-26) following an 85-win season in 2009, but the club has failed to meet them. The Mariners are in last place in the AL West and are at the bottom of the league in batting average (.233), homers (22) and runs (136).

Seattle, though, has built its club around pitching, and the acquisition of Lee (1-2, 2.08 ERA) was the highlight of the Mariners' offseason. His 12-2 interleague mark is the best among any pitcher with at least 12 decisions.

The Mariners have scored a total of nine runs in losing three of Lee's four starts this year. Lee pitched a five-hitter with a season-high 10 strikeouts Sunday in a 2-1 loss at Tampa Bay.

"Cliff's a professional, he's prepared, he attacks hitters and that's what he did," catcher Josh Bard told the Mariners' official website. "It's just disappointing when we don't go out and score any runs for him."

The left-hander has faced the Padres twice, posting a 1.35 ERA and not receiving any decisions.

While Seattle is one of baseball's biggest flops, San Diego (24-17) is in first place in the NL West. The Padres entered 2010 off consecutive losing seasons, but have used a major league-best 2.78 ERA to become a contender.

San Diego is 5-1 in starts by Wade LeBlanc (2-1, 1.54), who has yielded two runs or fewer in every outing. LeBlanc gave up one run over seven innings Sunday in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers.

The left-hander may have bad memories of his lone career outing against the Mariners, allowing four runs and recording four outs in a 9-3 road loss last June 25.

LeBlanc allowed a homer and a double in two at-bats by Ichiro Suzuki, who is seventh all-time with a .340 interleague average among players with at least 150 at-bats. Suzuki has stolen 59 bases for the highest interleague total.

Ken Griffey Jr. has yet to homer this year, and has 55 to rank second all-time in interleague play.

Griffey, however, came through with a game-winning, pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap a three-run rally in a 4-3 win over Toronto on Thursday that ended the Mariners' five-game skid.

Seattle played its eighth straight one-run game, winning just its second.

The Mariners have won the last four season series with San Diego, going 5-1 in 2008 and 4-2 last season.

The Padres' 5-10 interleague record in 2009 tied them with four other clubs for the worst mark in the NL. San Diego designated hitters are batting a major-league worst .224 all-time.

"For whatever reason, we haven't played real well against those guys," third baseman Chase Headley told the Padres' official website. "Baseball is baseball, whether you have a DH or no DH. You have to be able to get past that."