Seattle @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 27, 2012 ) Seattle 1, Minnesota 0

The Seattle Mariners have dominated the Minnesota Twins this season because of one common denominator: pitching. So it was no surprise that the Mariners made it six straight wins behind a shutout from ace Felix Hernandez in the opener of a four-game series Monday. Minnesota won the first meeting between the teams in early May, but it's been all Mariners since. Seattle has limited the Twins to 11 runs in the seven matchups and only eight during the six-game winning streak.

Minnesota is mired in a 3-15 skid and has scored three runs or fewer a dozen times in that span. Target Field is not providing any advantage for the Twins, who own the worst home record (24-38) in the majors and have the worst overall mark in the American League at 52-76. Minnesota will send its best pitcher, rookie left-hander Scott Diamond, to the mound in an attempt to break the slide against the Mariners.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, Root Sports (Seattle), FS North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (4-3, 3.64 ERA) vs. Twins LH Scott Diamond (10-5, 3.04)

Iwakuma took a no-decision last time out by allowing one run on six hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Cleveland Indians. He had gone seven innings in winning each of his previous two starts, including giving up one run on four hits to beat the Twins on Aug. 17 in Seattle. He has not surrendered a homer in his last two starts after serving up at least one in 10 straight outings.

Diamond had a cameo in his last start, getting ejected in the third inning after throwing a pitch near the head of Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton. Diamond was suspended six games by Major League Baseball, but he appealed the punishment and will look to end a string of three straight no-decisions. One of those came against Seattle, when he allowed two runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Seattle CF Franklin Gutierrez returned to the lineup for the first time in three months and went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases.

2. Twins CF Denard Span went 0-for-4 Monday to snap his eight-game hitting streak.

3. Hernandez became the third pitcher since 1969 to post four 1-0 victories in one season. Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins (1974) and Bert Blyleven (1976) were the others.