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Indians seek to right the ship at home versus M's

May 13, 2011 - 2:45 PM (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Indians have the best winning percentage at home, but they will try to avoid losing for a third consecutive time at Progressive Field when they host the Seattle Mariners tonight in the opener of a three-game series.

Cleveland posted its 14th straight win at home with a 5-4 victory over Tampa Bay before losing the last two portions of the set, including Thursday afternoon's 7-4 setback to the Rays. Indians starter Justin Masterson entered the matinee with a 5-0 mark and exited with his first loss of the season after he permitted five runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.

"Masterson was behind in the count most of the day and really struggled with his command, especially against left-handers," Indians manager Manny Acta said.

Asdrubal Cabrera homered and scored twice, while Orlando Cabrera recorded two doubles and an RBI for Cleveland, which is 14-4 at home and lost for the fifth time in eight tries.

The Tribe will shoot for a 15th home win Friday with Fausto Carmona scheduled to make his ninth start of the season. Carmona is 3-1 in his last five starts and did not factor in the outcome of Sunday's 6-5 loss at Anaheim in which he allowed three unearned runs on eight hits in seven innings.

Carmona has pitched seven inning or more six times this season and was coming off eight innings of one-run ball in a win at Oakland on May 3. The right- hander, who is 2-1 in four home starts and 3-3 on the year with a 3.83 ERA, owns a 2-3 record in six career games (5 starts) against the Mariners.

Seattle is mired in a five-game losing streak and was just swept in three games at Baltimore. In Thursday's 2-1 loss in 12 innings, Mariners reliever Brandon League served up a two-run single to J.J. Hardy in the bottom of the 12th inning to absorb the loss.

League loaded the bases by allowing a single to Derrek Lee and hitting both Vladimir Guerrero and Adam Jones. Matt Wieters lined out and Hardy followed with a hit to center field, scoring a pair of runners to keep the Mariners out of the win column. Seattle opened the scoring on Miguel Olivo's RBI single in the top of the 12th, scoring Ichiro Suzuki, who legged out an infield single to start the frame.

Both starters threw nine scoreless innings, as Jason Vargas of the Mariners allowed seven hits and struck out four. O's hurler Zach Britton fanned five batters and scattered three hits in the no-decision.

"My job was just to keep us in the game as long as possible. You gotta tip your hat to Vargas, he pitched really well," said Britton. "When's that going to happen again?"

The Mariners hope that happens when Doug Fister takes the mound Friday in Cleveland, as the right-hander's coming off a rough outing versus the Chicago White Sox in Saturday's 6-0 loss. Fister was creamed for five runs and 14 hits in 5 2/3 innings to fall to 2-4 in seven starts with a 3.40 ERA.

Fister entered the White Sox game 2-0 in three starts. He was beaten by the Indians on April 9 this season at Safeco Field, allowing two runs -- one earned -- in six innings of a 2-1 setback. Fister is winless in three career starts against the Tribe, going 0-2 with a 3.57 ERA.

Cleveland swept a three-game series in the Emerald City from April 8-10 and has won six of the previous eight matchups between the two ballclubs.