Seattle @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2012 ) Seattle 0, Minnesota 10

Trevor Plouffe was quietly putting together an outstanding season before a thumb injury sent the Minnesota Twins third baseman to the disabled list last month. After hitting 11 homers in June and having a 17-game hitting streak snapped in the game in which he was injured, Plouffe struggled coming off the DL, going 2-for-33 in his first nine games. He seems to be getting back on track and will look to help the Twins salvage a split of their four-game series with the Seattle Mariners.

Plouffe had a two-run homer and two-run double in Minnesota's 10-0 romp Wednesday. It marked the fourth loss in 14 games for Seattle, which managed only two hits and was blanked for the first time since July 15 against Texas. The Mariners had won the previous seven matchups with the Twins, including five this month in which they limited Minnesota to a total of eight runs. Seattle sends Blake Beavan to the mound to oppose Brian Duensing on Thursday.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), Fox Sports North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Blake Beavan (8-8, 5.10 ERA) vs. Twins LH Brian Duensing (3-9, 5.28)

Beavan took the loss at Chicago in his last outing, giving up four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. It was the third time in four starts he has surrendered four runs. The one exception in that stretch was an outing against Minnesota on Aug. 19, when Beavan limited the Twins to one run and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Duensing had his worst start of a shaky season last time out, getting battered for nine runs on 10 hits in a 9-3 loss at Texas. In six starts since returning to the rotation, the 29-year-old is 2-3 but has given up at least 10 hits in three of those outings. He has made five appearances (one start) against Seattle, going 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. Seattle had its 11-game home run streak snapped in Wednesday's loss.

2. Twins LF Josh Willingham needs four RBIs to match his career-high total of 98 set last year.

3. The home runs by Plouffe and Willingham on Wednesday doubled the amount Minnesota had hit in its previous 11 games.