Boston @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2012 ) Boston 1, Seattle 4

Dustin Pedroia is still playing hard. The rest of the Boston Red Sox appear to be running out the clock on the 2012 season. The Red Sox are enduring one of the worst road trips in team history and now have the Seattle Mariners knocking them back. The Mariners, who are fighting to finish with a winning record, have gotten strong pitching back-to-back wins to pull within four games of .500 (66-70).

Boston has been outscored 58-16 in dropping the first seven games of its nine-game trip, falling a season-high 12 games below .500 (62-74). The Red Sox actually scored first Monday, they just could not muster anything else in a 4-1 setback. Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 14 games and scored the lone run. The Mariners have won 17 of their last 20 home games and are 30-19 since the All-Star break. They need one more win to match their total from 2011.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), Root Sports (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Jon Lester (8-11, 5.01 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Blake Beavan (9-8, 4.95)

Lester pitched a complete game last week at Anaheim but allowed five runs on nine hits to suffer the loss and snap a three-start winning streak. The veteran left-hander is from Tacoma, Wash., and had one of his best starts of the season against the Mariners at Fenway Park on May 14, allowing one run and striking out six in a complete-game win. Lester is 2-2 with a 4.42 ERA in six career starts in front of his hometown fans at Safeco Field.

Beavan is coming off a strong start at Minnesota in which he allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings to pick up a win. The 23-year old right-hander has only three strikeouts while issuing five walks over his last two turns. Beavan lasted four innings at Boston on May 15, allowing three runs on five hits to absorb the loss. He is 0-3 with a 6.35 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox owner John Henry and general manager Ben Cherington have joined the team in Seattle on a reported “fact-finding” mission.

2. Jason Vargas became the first Seattle pitcher other than Felix Hernandez since 2003 to notch 14 wins when he held Boston to one run in seven innings on Monday.

3. Red Sox RHP Scott Atchison (elbow) made a rehab appearance for Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday and will pitch for Pawtucket again Thursday.