Seattle @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 14, 2012 ) San Diego 6, Seattle 2

The San Diego Padres earned their first sweep of the season last week when they won three consecutive games against the Seattle Mariners. The scene now shifts to San Diego for a three-game series beginning Friday - and the Padres are struggling, having dropped five of six games since the successful visit to Seattle. The Mariners have won their last four games in San Diego and enter the series having scored 22 runs in their last two games.

Seattle starter Kevin Millwood has always found San Diego a good place to pitch no matter the venue. He is 4-0 with a 3.30 ERA in eight starts in San Diego – five at Qualcomm Stadium and three at Petco Park. He'll square off against a Padres club saddled with the worst record in all of baseball, having allowed 80 more runs than it has scored – the worst differential in the majors. San Diego tallied just six runs while being swept at home by the Texas Rangers earlier this week.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), Fox Sports San Diego

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Kevin Millwood (3-5, 3.69 ERA) vs. Padres LH Clayton Richard (4-7, 3.94)

Millwood has an 8-2 mark and 3.27 ERA in 17 career starts against the Padres. He allowed three earned runs and nine hits in five innings while taking a no-decision against the San Francisco Giants in his start. Millwood tossed six no-hit innings on June 8 against the Los Angeles Dodgers before leaving with a groin injury in what ended up being a combined no-hitter for the Mariners.

Richard has won two consecutive outings. He allowed five hits in 7 2/3 scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics in his last start, which came five days after he held the Mariners to one run in seven innings. He is 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA in five career starts against Seattle.

WALK-OFFS:

1. San Diego starters allowed just two runs in 20 innings in the recent sweep of the Mariners.

2. Seattle outfielder Casper Wells is batting .481 with a homer and eight RBIs in 10 interleague games this season.

3. Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin is 4-for-9 with a homer and two doubles against Millwood.