Seattle @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 22, 2010 ) Seattle 6, Toronto 3

The Seattle Mariners have endured plenty of highs and lows over the past 10 seasons, but one thing has remained consistent throughout: Ichiro Suzuki racking up the hits.

Suzuki will look to make major-league history Thursday as the Seattle Mariners play the rubber match of their three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays were 5-3 victors in Tuesday's series opener while Seattle answered with a 6-3 win Wednesday night.

Suzuki has five hits in nine at-bats so far in the series, leaving him just two shy of becoming the first player in major-league history to bang out 200 or more hits in 10 consecutive seasons. If he doesn't reach the plateau in Thursday's series finale, the 36-year-old native of Kasugai, Japan will have the chance to set the record when the Mariners begin a weekend series against the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Despite seeing his Mariners saddled with the worst record in the American League, Suzuki continues to chug along as his team's best position player. He leads the Mariners with a .314 batting average, and his 41 steals rank him fifth in the AL.

Suzuki spent the first part of his career in the Japanese league, but his major-league numbers alone could land him in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has more than 2,200 hits in just 10 seasons, putting him on pace to reach the 3,000-hit plateau sometime in 2014, and he has close to 400 stolen bases in his career.

A career .350 hitter against the Jays, Suzuki will try to fashion hit No. 200 against Toronto starter Shawn Hill (0-2), who is hoping to secure a spot in the 2011 starting rotation.

The Toronto-area native has made two starts since returning from ligament replacement surgery, and has looked shaky in both. Hill lasted just 5 2/3 innings in his previous outing, allowing three runs on nine hits in an 11-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Hill, 29, has a respectable 4.09 ERA but has allowed opponents to hit a robust .354 off him so far this season.

Seattle counters with Cy Young candidate Felix Hernandez (12-11), who will face Toronto for the first time in 2010.

The 24-year-old has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the majors this season, and would likely be a Cy Young slam-dunk if not for a Seattle offense that ranks last in the majors in batting average, homers and runs scored.

Hernandez leads the AL with a 2.35 ERA and 222 strikeouts, and also has five complete games to his credit. He was sensational in his previous outing, charged with a run on three hits over eight innings on the way to a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Hernandez is 3-2 in six career starts against Toronto, with a 4.10 ERA and 38 Ks in 41 2/3 innings.