• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Slumping Twins head to Seattle

May 16, 2011 - 3:19 PM (Sports Network) - Both the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners will be aiming to halt lengthy losing streaks tonight in the opener of a two-game series at Safeco Field.

The Twins bring an eight-game slide into this meeting and at 12-26, they are off to their worst start since going 11-27 in 1995. Last year's American League Central Division champions are already 12 1/2 games off the pace.

The Mariners, meanwhile, have dropped six in a row for their second-longest losing streak of the season. A setback tonight would match the seven consecutive games they dropped from April 3-10.

Seattle's skid could have been as long as Minnesota's, but its final two games against Cleveland were postponed due to inclement weather. The Mariners haven't played an official game since a heart-breaking 5-4 loss on Friday.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge hopes that the extra time off will get closer Brandon League back on track. League has blown his last three save chances and is 0-4 in his last four appearances, allowing 10 runs in three innings.

Rookie Michael Pineda was set to pitch Sunday's game and even warmed up, but he will instead go in tonight's opener. Neither Wedge nor Pineda foresee a problem with the 22-year-old going tonight instead.

"It's OK," Pineda told his club's website. "I'm good for [Monday]."

Ace Felix Hernandez will have his start pushed back and will pitch on Tuesday.

Pineda is 0-1 in two starts since winning four in a row and did not factor into the decision of Tuesday's outing in Baltimore. The right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings of his club's 7-6 loss.

Pineda is 4-2 with a 2.84 earned run average in seven starts this season and faces the Twins for the first time.

He'll look to deal Minnesota a ninth loss in a row after the club was hammered, 11-3, by Toronto on Sunday and was swept in its third straight series.

"Losing in general is just exhausting," Michael Cuddyer told Minnesota's website. "It just wears on you because nobody in here is a loser. Everyone in here has won. So when you're not doing something you're used to, you get drained."

Trevor Plouffe, Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer each drove in a run for the Twins, while Brian Duensing was touched for seven runs on eight hits over just three innings.

Hoping to end Minnesota's slide is Scott Baker, but he did struggle in his last outing versus the Tigers on Wednesday. The 29-year-old righty gave up season highs of five runs and five walks over a season-low 4 1/3 innings, getting a no-decision in a 9-7 loss.

Baker is 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA in seven starts this year and 3-3 with a 4.42 ERA in nine lifetime versus Seattle.

The Twins have won five of their last six versus the Mariners overall, but have dropped five of their last six in Seattle.