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Padres-Mariners Preview

May 23, 2010 - 6:03 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

San Diego (25-18) at Seattle (16-27), 4:10 p.m. EDT

The Seattle Mariners have lost five straight starts by Felix Hernandez for the first time.

Hernandez will try to end his personal three-game slide Sunday and continue his interleague success when the Mariners finish a three-game home set against the San Diego Padres.

Part of the woes for the Mariners has been their poor run support in Hernandez's recent outings. They have totaled 14 runs in the five losses, with Hernandez (2-3, 3.95 ERA) going 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA.

The right-hander allowed three runs and a season-high 11 hits Tuesday in a 6-5, 10-inning loss at Oakland.

Seattle (16-27), however, has won 12 of 15 interleague games started by Hernandez, who is 8-3 with a 3.15 ERA in them. He's 5-1 with a 3.52 ERA in eight interleague starts at home, and 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA in three overall outings against the Padres.

Hernandez's worst career stretch came when he went 0-5 with a 5.54 ERA in six starts from April 27-May 26, 2008.

San Diego (25-18) is trying to win a series at Safeco Field for the first time in three years after evening this one with a 2-1 victory Saturday. Matt Stairs hit his first homer for the Padres and Clayton Richard went seven innings and allowed one run.

"To be able to contribute once in a while with home runs is nice," Stairs said.

Richard provided a boost to a staff that began the series leading the majors with a 2.78 ERA. That figure took a major hit in Friday's opener as the Padres gave up their highest run total all season in a 15-8 loss.

That outburst was an aberration for a Mariners team that has scored an AL-low 152 runs.

Both teams had some success with runners in scoring position Friday with Seattle going 8 for 14 and San Diego 6 for 21. One night later, the Mariners were 2 for 10 while the Padres were hitless in eight at-bats.

"It comes back down to situational hitting or timely hitting and we had opportunities, but Richard pitched a great ball game," Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu said.

Mariners slugger Mike Sweeney is 6 for 9 with seven RBIs in this series, doubling his season RBI total in the process.

Veteran outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. has not seen action in the first two games. Griffey, who has 55 home runs in interleague play for the second-best mark, has not homered this year.

After Oscar Salazar went 2 for 5 with three RBIs in Friday's opener, Stairs' homer was his lone hit in four at-bats Saturday. They were the designated hitters in the first two games - San Diego entered the series with its DHs hitting a major-league worst .224 all-time in interleague play.

The Padres will start Mat Latos (3-3, 3.28), who enters with a 15-inning scoreless streak on the road. His overall scoreless innings run of 18 came to an end Tuesday when he gave up two runs over six innings in a 7-6, 13-inning loss to San Francisco.

This will be the right-hander's first career interleague start.