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Griffey again faces former team

Jun 23, 2007 - 1:55 PM Cincinnati (29-45) at Seattle (37-33) 10:05 pm EDT

SEATTLE (Ticker) - Ken Griffey Jr. made a tearful return to Seattle on Friday night, but it was his teammates who picked up the offensive slack.

Griffey will try to give his former hometown fans something else to cheer about when the Cincinnati Reds visit the Seattle Mariners again on Saturday.

David Ross and Brandon Phillips each clubbed a pair of homers as the Reds beat up on the Mariners, 16-1, in Friday's game.

The night began with a 15-minute tribute to Griffey prior to the game - during which the fans stood and cheered the entire time - and ended with the drubbing. But the emotions clearly overwhelmed Griffey, who went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.

Kyle Loshe (3-9, 4.56 ERA) will take the mound for Cincinnati. The veteran righthander has lost his last two starts, allowing nine earned runs in 11 2/3 combined innings.

In three total interleague starts this season, Loshe - a longtime American Leaguer with the Minnesota Twins - has allowed 17 runs - 14 earned - in 13 innings.

The man charged with cooling off the Reds offense for Seattle will be Lefthander Jarrod Washburn (5-6, 4.38). The veteran hurler is struggling as well.

Washburn took the loss last Sunday at Houston, surrendering seven runs - six earned - in three innings. He is 0-2 in his last four starts and has allowed at least five runs in three of those outings.