#52: Mariners Eye Elusive 3rd Win In Row Tuesday

GAME: Padres (22-28, 4th, NL West, -6.0 GB) at Mariners (22-29, 4th, AL West, -10.5 GB). GAME #: 52. SERIES: 2nd of 2 games. MEETING: 2nd (Mariners lead 1-0). WHEN: Tuesday, 7:10 p.m., Safeco Field. STREAKS: Mariners W 2; Padres L 2. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

The Mariners haven’t produced a three-game winning streak since May 1-4, nearly a month ago, but will ride — for them, anyway — a wave of momentum into their chance for a trifecta Tuesday. On the heels of a 13th-inning walk-off win Saturday (Texas) and a 9-0 triumph Monday (San Diego), Seattle can sweep its two-game series with the Padres when Brandon Maurer opposes Edinson Volquez.

It will take some doing for Maurer to come close to matching what Aaron Harang accomplished Sunday — a four-hit, complete-game shutout of the Padres in which he fanned eight for the seventh blanking of his career. Seattle manager Eric Wedge would probably settle for a little bit more consistency out of the rookie Maurer, who alternates decent-to-good outings with horrid ones.

Maurer’s last one was horrid: seven earned runs on 11 hits in 3.0 innings. But he produced a quality start in his previous outing, three earned runs on five hits in 6.0 innings, only to come away with a no-decision.

Small sample size, but Volquez has been tough on the Mariners with a 3-0 record and 2.67 ERA in six career starts.

TUESDAY’S PROBABLES

MARINERS: RHP Brandon Maurer (2-6, 6.80 ERA, 1.67 WHIP)

The 22-year-old Maurer, a Newport Beach, CA., native in his first season in the majors, will make his 10th start and first against the Padres. Maurer has lost his last three decisions and given up 17 earned runs in his past four starts. Maurer, making the jump from AA to the majors, hasn’t won since beating the Angels April 25.

• LAST START: May 22 at Anaheim, lost 7-1; 7 earned runs on 11 hits in 3.0 innings; 2 strikeouts, 2 walks, 0 home runs, 74 pitches, 39 for strikes.

• LAST VS. PADRES: Never faced.

• CAREER VS. PADRES: No record.

• AT SAFECO FIELD: 2-3, 6.14 ERA in 5 starts covering 22.0 innings; 19 strikeouts, seven walks, 3 home runs, 1.72 WHIP.

• LOVES/HATES TO FACE: Maurer has never faced a member of the Padres roster.

• CURRENT PADRES VS. MAURER: No statistics.

PADRES: Edinson Volquez (3-5, 5.76 ERA, 1.57 WHIP)

The 29-year-old Volquez, a Dominican in his ninth major league season and second with San Diego, will make his 11th start and first against the Mariners. Volquez has had a streaky year. He opened with three consecutive losses, followed with three wins in a row and has dropped his last two. He has pitched into the sixth inning seven times and had his best performance April 24 against Milwaukee when he did not allow an earned run in 7.0 innings.

• LAST START: May 21 vs. St. Louis, lost 10-2; 5 earned runs on 8 hits in 6.0 innings; 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, 0 home runs, 87 pitches, 62 for strikes.

• LAST VS. MARINERS: June 24, 2012, won 2-0; 0 earned runs on 4 hits in 6.2 innings; 4 strikeouts, 3 walks, 115 pitches, 67 for strikes.

• CAREER VS. MARINERS: 3-0, 2.67 ERA in 6 games, including 5 starts, covering 30.1 innings; 18 strikeouts, 16 walks, 2 home runs, 1.45 WHIP.

• AT SAFECO FIELD: 1-0, 3.00 ERA in 2 starts covering 12.2 innings; 9 strikeouts, 7 walks, 0 home runs, 1.41 WHIP.

• LOVES TO FACE: Justin Smoak (0-for-5, .000),  Michael Saunders (1-for-6, .167).

• HATES TO FACE: Michael Morse (2-for-3, .667), Kyle Seager (1-for-2, .500), Raul Ibanez (3-for-9, .333).

• CURRENT MARINERS VS. VOLQUEZ: 9-for-50, .180 BA, 11 strikeouts, 8 walks, 0 home runs, .305 on-base percentage.

MARINERS STATS / NOTES

• CURRENT HOME STAND: Three vs. Texas (Friday-Sunday), two vs. San Diego (Monday-Tuesday). Following the home stand, the Mariners will play two at San Diego (Wednesday-Thursday) and three at Minnesota (Friday-Sunday). The Mariners are amid 20 games in 20 days with their next day off June 13.
• Mariners, who recorded their sixth shutout of the season Monday, have won two in a row following a season-high eight-game losing streak.
• Mariners’ 9-0 win Monday was its largest shutout victory since a 12-0 waxing of the L.A. Angels Oct. 3, 2012, in the final game of the regular season.
• Jason Bay’s leadoff home run Monday, the first of his MLB career, was the sixth of the season for the Mariners, a franchise record. Seattle hit five leadoff homers in 2002, 2005 and 2012.
• Kendrys Morales went 3-for-5 Monday, lifting his batting average to .301, and extending his hitting streak to seven games. Morales has recorded a hit in 18 of 21 games this month.
• Manager Eric Wedge said Sunday that no decision has been made on whether Justin Smoak (strained oblique) will go on the disabled list.
• The Mariners made several roster moves prior to Monday’s game, optioning 2B Dustin Ackley and LHP Lucas Luetge to AAA Tacoma and calling up RHP Hector Noesi and INF Nick Franklin. The Mariners also designated OF Francisco Martinez for assignment. Ackley, hitting .205, was in an 0-for-19 slump. Franklin got into the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning Monday and walked in his first MLB at-bat.

UPCOMING PROBABLES