Seattle @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 17, 2015 ) Seattle 3, NY Yankees 4

Alex Rodriguez carried his hot streak into the second half of the season and the New York Yankees remained on a roll. The Yankees look to maintain their momentum Saturday when they continue a three-game series against the visiting Seattle Mariners.

Rodriguez slugged a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning to lift New York to a 4-3 win in Friday's series opener, the club's eighth victory in 11 games this month, which helped it open up a season-high 4 1/2-game advantage in the American League East. It was Rodriguez's fourth home run in seven games, the 673rd of his career and his 3,022nd hit, one behind Hall of Famer Lou Brock for 24th place on the all-time list. The blast also helped the Yankees secure their seventh straight victory over the Mariners, who were unable to capitalize on two homers by Kyle Seager. Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma gets the nod Saturday opposite former Mariner Michael Pineda.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, ROOT (Seattle), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (1-1, 5.22 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Michael Pineda (9-5, 3.64)

After allowing 17 earned runs in four starts spanning a lengthy stint on the disabled list, Iwakuma showcased his ability to dominate in his last turn Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. He limited the Angels to three hits in eight scoreless innings to pick up his first win of the season. The 34-year-old is 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees.

Pineda shook off a rocky stretch in June with three straight solid starts, during which he has allowed three earned runs in 21 2/3 innings. He also has 24 strikeouts against just one walk in that span and continues to lead the league with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.54. Pineda allowed two runs in six innings to get the win at Seattle on June 1.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Yankees last won eight in a row against the Mariners from Sept. 4, 2007-May 25, 2008.

2. Mariners 2B Robinson Cano is 2-for-18 with six strikeouts this year against his former team.

3. New York OF Chris Young homered Friday and has four extra-base hits in his last three games.

PREDICTION: Yankees 4, Mariners 3