Seattle @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 23, 2012 ) Seattle 5, San Diego 1

The Seattle Mariners finally defeated the San Diego Padres and look to do so again when the teams wrap up a three-game series in San Diego on Sunday. The Padres won the first four meetings between the squads until Felix Hernandez used his arm and bat to give Seattle a 5-1 victory on Saturday. Hernandez struck out 10 and delivered a tiebreaking two-run double. The Padres are last in the majors with 241 runs scored.

San Diego is 1-4 on a six-game homestand that concludes Sunday and has tallied just seven runs in the four losses. The Padres scored their lone run against Hernandez on a balk one night after a rare offensive explosion resulted in a 9-5 victory in Friday’s series opener. Seattle has scored 32 runs and bashed eight homers over its last four games to raise its road homer total to 51, second behind the New York Yankees. The Mariners had allowed 39 runs in a four-game span prior to Hernandez’s 18th career double-digit strikeout game.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), Fox Sports San Diego

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hector Noesi (2-8, 5.69 ERA) vs. Padres RH Edinson Volquez (3-7, 4.11 ERA)

Noesi hasn’t won since beating the Minnesota Twins on May 6 and is 0-5 over his last eight starts. He lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last outing when he gave up six runs (five earned) and nine hits in six innings. Noesi suffered a 1-0 loss to the Padres on June 13 when he gave up one run and five hits in seven innings. He has allowed 15 homers in 80 2/3 innings.

Volquez has lost five of his last six decisions, the lone victory coming when he beat the Mariners on June 14. He gave up one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. Volquez gave up six earned runs for the second time in three starts when he lost to the Texas Rangers in his last outing while pitching five innings. He is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA in five career appearances (four starts) against Seattle.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki had two hits on Saturday and is 10-for-19 over the last four games.

2. San Diego outfielder Cameron Maybin fanned three times Saturday and is in a 6-for-36 funk.

3. Seattle stole four bases in Saturday’s victory with outfielder Michael Saunders recording two thefts.