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Angels-Mariners Preview

Aug 31, 2010 - 6:42 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Los Angeles (64-68) at Seattle (51-80), 10:10 p.m. EDT

Visiting Seattle seems to add some life to the Los Angeles Angels' lineup.

With their extended scoreless-inning stretch behind them, the Angels try for a fifth consecutive road victory over Felix Hernandez and the Mariners on Tuesday night.

After scoring one run and being shut out in the final two of a three-game sweep at the hands of Baltimore over the weekend, Los Angeles (64-68) snapped a 31-inning scoreless stretch with a 5-3 win over Seattle on Monday.

"We go through stretches like this periodically," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia, whose team has lost 10 of 15. "The one we're in and hopefully trying to get out rivals anything we've seen here. It's been frustrating but the guys are playing hard and we know it'll get better and hopefully we'll get some consistency to start putting wins up."

Peter Bourjos, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui each homered in a four-run sixth inning to help the Angels improve to 11-3 against the Mariners this season. Los Angeles has outscored Seattle 45-21 while going 6-1 at Safeco Field in 2010.

Though Matsui was 0 for 8 against the Orioles, he is 8 for 22 with three home runs and eight RBIs in six games at Safeco in 2010.

Abreu is 2 for 24 in his last seven games but 11 for 30 with a homer against Hernandez (10-10, 2.47 ERA), who is 0-2 with a 5.12 ERA in three starts versus Los Angeles this season.

The right-hander allowed eight runs, three homers and walked four in 3 1-3 innings of an 8-0 loss in his last home start against the Angels on May 7.

Hernandez, however, has allowed eight runs - one earned - and struck out 40 over 30 innings while winning three of his last four starts overall. He gave up that earned run and struck out nine in 7 1-3 innings of a 4-2 win at Boston on Wednesday.

He also became the fourth pitcher in Mariners history to record 1,000 strikeouts.

"He not only has the stuff, but he's an outstanding competitor," interim manager Daren Brown told the Mariners' official website. "He wants to win, he wants to face hitters. You know when he takes the mound, something special can happen that night."

The Angels counter with Dan Haren (2-4, 4.02), who will try to win two straight starts for the first time since joining the Angels last month.

After allowing seven runs in seven innings of a 7-2 loss at Minnesota on Aug. 20, Haren gave up one and three hits while striking out eight in a 12-3 win over Tampa Bay on Wednesday. The Angels had scored 14 runs in his previous six starts since being traded by Arizona on July 25.

The right-hander is 6-4 with a 3.01 ERA in 12 starts against Mariners but has not faced them since 2007 with Oakland.

Franklin Gutierrez had three hits while Ichiro Suzuki and Russel Branyan each added two Monday for the Mariners (51-80), losers of seven of nine.

After spending his first eight seasons with the Angels, Chone Figgins is 8 for 49 (.163) with one extra-base hit against his former club after going 0 for 4 in the series opener.