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Their longest winning streak in nearly two years is over, but the
Seattle Mariners
are suddenly feeling a lot better about their season.
The Mariners look to bounce back from their first loss in six games when they open a three-game series with the San Diego
Padres Friday at Petco Park.
Seattle swept San Diego in a three-game series in May at Safeco Field, but the Padres lead the all-time series 25-22.
The Mariners (36-38) lost 4-2 to the
Los Angeles Dodgers
on Thursday, ending their longest winning streak since August 2004. Still, Seattle is 13-6 in June and has clinched their
first .500 month since going April 2005 when it went 12-12.
The surge has left the Mariners four games behind first-place Oakland in the AL West.
Yuniesky Betancourt
and
Raul Ibanez
each homered for Seattle, which also lost for the first time in nine interleague games.
Ichiro Suzuki
, though, went 0-for-4, ending the longest hitting streak in the AL this season at 20 games.
The Padres (38-34) lost 5-3 to Texas on Thursday, ending their three-game winning streak.
Josh Barfield
went 3-for-4 with an RBI for San Diego, which fell to 4-5 in interleague games this season.
The Padres, who are opening a 10-game homestand, had 14 hits, pushing their total to 46 in four games.
''We had them on the ropes in every inning but we couldn't cash in,'' Bochy said. ''We need one big hit to break it open.''
Jake Peavy
(4-8, 4.81 ERA) will look to help San Diego bounce back and regain his form as the Padres' ace. He lost his third straight
start on Saturday, allowing three runs and four hits in eight innings of a 3-2 defeat to the
Los Angeles Angels
.
The complete game was his first since he earned a 2-0 win over
Roger Clemens
and Houston on Aug. 23. He had allowed 17 runs in 13 2-3 innings in his previous three starts.
Peavy, who already has more losses than in either of his last two seasons, has battled tendinitis in his right shoulder this
year, but said he felt fine Saturday.
''I definitely felt good,'' he said. ''I just hate that we got beat. I haven't had my electric stuff, but I'm doing good enough
to compete. When I go out and pitch, worked up and lubed, it's no problem.''
Peavy, who didn't face Seattle last month, is 4-0 with a 1.69 career ERA against the Mariners.
Seattle will counter with
Gil Meche
(7-4, 4.10), who won his third straight start on Saturday, tossing a five-hitter in an 8-1 win over San Francisco. He also
pitched on two extra days' rest because of a sore back.
''My fastball was jumping out of my hand like it hasn't done all year,'' said Meche, who threw his first complete game since
Sept. 12, 2004. ''A couple extra days definitely helped me out a bit.''
Meche has allowed just four runs over 21 innings during the winning streak, which came after he allowed a season-high six
runs in a loss at Texas on May 30. He is 6-2 over his last eight starts and has given up three or fewer earned runs in nine
of his last 11 outings.
Meche is 3-0 with a 3.16 ERA in four career starts against the Padres. he gave up three runs in 7 2-3 innings of a 6-3 win
over San Diego on May 20.
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