• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Mariners hope to stop slide, make playoff push

Aug 7, 2007 - 1:28 PM Seattle (60-49) at Baltimore (52-58) 7:05 pm EDT

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Ichiro Suzuki will look to help the Seattle Mariners avoid a three-game losing streak and fall further out of the race in the American League West when they visit the Baltimore Orioles in Tuesday's opener of a three-game series.

Ichiro, who is hitless over his last 12 at-bats, has posted a .347 batting average with 76 runs scored and 30 stolen bases this season.

Due in part to his recent struggles, Seattle dropped the final two games of a weekend series with the Boston Red Sox to drop four games behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the AL West.

The Japanese native and his teammates will face struggling Baltimore starter Steve Trachsel (5-7, 4.97 ERA), who is winless in his last seven outings. The 36-year-old did not receive a decision in his last start despite allowing just one unearned run and five hits over six innings of a 5-4 loss at Boston on Wednesday.

He will be opposed by Jeff Weaver (2-10, 6.32), who was winless throughout the entire month of July. The 30-year-old righthander has registered a loss in each of his last four starts.

Weaver lasted just four innings in his previous start, surrendering six runs and seven hits with three walks in an 8-0 loss to the Angels last Tuesday.

The Orioles have dropped three of their last five games despite the fact that they posted a series win at the Tampa Bay Devil Rays over the weekend.