Mariners 8 - 3 Reds
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May 20, 2016 - 3:14 AM Winning a road series against a first-place team could be further proof that the Seattle Mariners are for real this season.

Avoiding a letdown is their next order of business.

Seattle looks to improve the AL's best road record Friday night when it opens a three-game series against the last-place Cincinnati Reds.

The Mariners (23-17) entered Thursday's rubber match against AL East-leading Baltimore needing a win to remain without a series loss this season, and they received it thanks to Adam Lind's three-run homer that was the big blow in a 7-2 victory.

Leonys Martin also went deep for the Mariners, who are 6-0-1 in road series and 15-7 away from Safeco Field.

"We like hanging out together," manager Scott Servais said with a chuckle. "We play well on the road. We have a lot of confidence.

"Starting pitchers have kept us in games and we've had a lot of big hits on the road. That's the key. You've got to hit on the road to win - and we have."

The numbers bear that out, with the Mariners batting .268 with 5.3 runs per game and 34 homers on the road compared to a .218 average, 3.7 runs and 21 longballs at home.

No player enjoys living out of a suitcase more than Robinson Cano, who is hitting .370 with nine homers and 24 RBIs on the road, while batting .213 with just three home runs and 12 RBIs in Seattle.

The team's road success hasn't been a big help to Hisashi Iwakuma (1-4, 4.38 ERA), who has one win in five away outings despite a 3.38 ERA. The right-hander has been supported with two runs or fewer six times in his eight starts.

He wasn't terribly sharp Saturday in a no-decision against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing four runs and a season-high nine hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 9-7 loss.

Iwakuma is 1-2 with a 6.26 ERA in his last four interleague starts but has never faced the Reds or anyone on their current roster.

With this series in an NL park, the Mariners will use regular designated hitter Nelson Cruz in right field. Seattle is 6-8 when Cruz plays right and 17-8 when he's DH.

"We need his bat obviously. He's a big part of our lineup," Servais said.

The majority of the Mariners' lineup doesn't have much experience facing the Reds, but Lind is an exception. He batted .403 with four homers and 20 of his 87 RBIs in 19 games against them last season with Milwaukee.

He's 3 for 6 lifetime against Dan Straily (2-1, 3.05), who has given Cincinnati's battered rotation a lift. He's allowed three runs or fewer in each of his six starts and struck out six over five scoreless innings in Sunday's 9-4 win at Philadelphia.

"I think today was just bend and don't break," said Straily, who walked three and threw 109 pitches. "I was fighting myself. I developed a nice little blister, (I was) fighting that."

Straily is 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA in five starts against the Mariners.

The Reds' dismal season continued with Thursday's 7-2 loss to Cleveland, capping a four-game sweep to their intrastate rivals in which they allowed 43 runs and 24 walks.

Cincinnati (15-26) has lost nine of 11 to drop a season-worst 11 games under .500.

Already with five starting pitchers on the disabled list, the Reds may have lost another when rookie Tim Adleman left in the fourth inning with a strained oblique.

"When you hear `oblique,' it's not good," manager Bryan Price said.






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