Kansas City @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 27, 2012 ) Kansas City 1, Seattle 6

The Seattle Mariners are getting used to life without Ichiro Suzuki. Playing the Kansas City Royals has helped. The Mariners will try to continue their mastery of the Royals when they host Kansas City on Saturday. The Mariners are 3-2 without their former icon, who was traded to the New York Yankees on Monday. That includes two straight victories over the Royals. The Mariners are 9-5 in their last 14 games. The Royals have won just six of their last 25 contests.

Kansas City’s Bruce Chen hasn’t won in five starts and is 0-2 with a 9.26 ERA during that span, but is 4-0 with a 3.10 ERA lifetime against Seattle. He will oppose Kevin Millwood for the second time in 11 days. Millwood pitched well in his last outing against the New York Yankees on Monday, but lost his fourth straight decision. The Mariners have dropped the last six games Millwood has started, including an 8-7 setback at Kansas City on July 18 when he yielded seven runs and a season-high 10 hits.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, No TV

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals LH Bruce Chen (7-8, 5.54 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Kevin Millwood (3-8, 4.13)

Chen hasn’t pitched more than 5 2/3 innings during his slide. He allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 frames in the Royals’ 6-3 loss at the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, which marked the first time in four starts he yielded fewer than four runs. Chen was tagged for four runs and received a no-decision against the Mariners on July 18. The Mariners’ roster is hitting .200 against Chen, with Miguel Olivo 0-for-10.

Millwood bounced back from his poor performance in Kansas City by allowing three runs and nine hits in seven innings in Seattle’s 4-1 loss to New York on Monday. Millwood is 6-5 with a 4.81 ERA in 16 career starts against the Royals. Alex Gordon (7-for-21, two homers, four RBIs) and Billy Butler (8-for-25, two doubles, three RBIs) have fared well against Millwood, while Yuniesky Betancourt (9-for-51) has not.

WALK-OFFS

1. Seattle RF Carlos Peguero is 1-for-17 since taking over for Ichiro.

2. Mariners C John Jaso hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs in Friday’s 6-1 victory.

3. Royals RF Jeff Francoeur has a major league-best 109 assists since the start of the 2005 season. He recorded his American League-leading 12th of the season in Thursday’s series opener.