Major League Baseball

Reds-Mariners Preview

Published Jun. 20, 2010 3:45 a.m. ET

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The Cincinnati Reds lead the NL in runs and batting average and are tied for the league lead in home runs. It's been hard to tell in this series against the Seattle Mariners.

Looking to avoid getting swept for the first time in more than two months, the slumping Reds will try to salvage a game at Safeco Field on Sunday.

Cincinnati (37-32) opened this series one-half game ahead of St. Louis for the NL Central lead, but has fallen 1 1/2 back of the Cardinals after dropping two straight to Seattle.

The Reds are averaging 4.9 runs, batting .276 and have hit 83 homers, but they have scored one run in this series against Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez, who pitched the Mariners' first back-to-back complete games since 1996.

"The last couple of days, we've faced two of the American League's best in King Felix and (Lee) yesterday (in a 1-0 loss)," Reds manager Dusty Baker told the team's official website following a 5-1 loss to Hernandez on Saturday. "We just have to come back tomorrow."

The Reds, who have scored two or fewer runs four times while dropping five of six, didn't give Aaron Harang (5-6, 5.44 ERA) any support in his last outing, a 12-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

Trying to win his fourth straight decision, the right-hander allowed five runs over 4 1/3 innings before a 2-hour, 24-minute rain delay ended his night.

Harang has been outstanding in four career starts versus Seattle, going 1-2 with a 1.32 ERA. The Reds could use another strong outing as they try to avoid getting swept for the first time since April 16-18.

Harang will face a Mariners club that's looking to match a season-high four-game winning streak. Another solid offensive performance could help Seattle (27-41) do so.

After scoring four runs or fewer in their previous 16 games, the Mariners had 10 hits Saturday, with Michael Saunders delivering a three-run shot in the sixth inning.

Ichiro Suzuki, 1 for 13 versus Harang, hit a solo homer and is batting .354 with two homers and six RBIs versus the NL this season.

Winless since Oct. 3, Ryan Rowland-Smith (0-6, 6.63) will take all the runs he can get. He has pitched past the sixth inning once in 11 starts this season, so it seems unlikely the Mariners will get their third straight complete game.

Making his first career interleague start following 10 relief appearances against the NL, Rowland-Smith gave up three runs in four innings of a 4-2 loss at St. Louis on Tuesday. With offense at a premium for the Mariners, manager Don Wakamatsu lifted Rowland-Smith for a pinch-hitter.

The left-hander will be making his first start versus Cincinnati. He pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in a 16-1 loss to the Reds on June 22, 2007.

Seattle, 7-1 all-time versus Cincinnati, goes for its first interleague series sweep since June 19-21, 2009, against Arizona.

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