Seattle @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( May 26, 2015 ) Seattle 7, Tampa Bay 6

Seattle has a great shot at a road sweep when it sends Felix Hernandez to the mound in the finale of a three-game series at Tampa Bay on Wednesday afternoon. The Mariners have won eight of nine games started by Hernandez, who owns a 2.12 ERA in 13 career starts against the Rays.

While it always has high expectations for its ace, Seattle is also becoming accustomed to big things from third baseman Kyle Seager. The budding star had a career-high six RBIs in Tuesday's 7-6 win in 10 innings, including the tiebreaking solo homer in the 10th and a grand slam in the eighth. He is hitting .400 with five home runs and 10 RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak, helping the Mariners turn around a slow start with wins in 11 of their last 17 contests. Tampa Bay, which rallied for three runs in the ninth on Tuesday to force extra innings, has matched a season high with four straight defeats.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Felix Hernandez (7-1, 2.19 ERA) vs. Rays RH Chris Archer (5-4, 2.40)

Hernandez bounced back from his worst outing of the season to pick up a win at Toronto on Friday, limiting the Blue Jays to a run on four hits in seven innings. He has allowed six home runs in four starts this month and is averaging one per nine frames for the first time since 2006. While the one-time Cy Young Award winner has dominated the Rays overall, he is 0-2 with a 3.23 ERA in four career starts at Tampa Bay.

After posting a 0.84 ERA through April, Archer has been a bit more pedestrian this month, although he has given up just one run in each of his last two starts. He lasted 5 1/3 innings while striking out eight in a 5-2 win against Oakland on Friday, walking four batters for the third time in five May outings. The 26-year-old, who is 2-4 at home, is 0-2 with a 4.11 ERA in three career starts against Seattle.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rays OF/DH David DeJesus is 12-for-36 with four doubles and a homer against Hernandez.

2. Seager has reached safely in a career-high 21 straight games.

3. Tampa Bay LF Jake Elmore is 4-for-7 with four RBIs since being recalled Monday.

PREDICTION: Mariners 3, Rays 2