Seattle @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( May 3, 2013 ) Seattle 4, Toronto 0

Any chance the Seattle Mariners have of competing in the American League West hinges on the success of their rotation behind Felix Hernandez. So far, Hisashi Iwakuma has proven to be a suitable No. 2 as he leads the surging Mariners into the second of a three-game series against the host Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Hernandez threw eight shutout innings as Seattle prevailed 4-0 in Friday's series opener for its sixth win in eight games.

Iwakuma has kept the Mariners in every game in which he has pitched despite dealing with a lingering blister issue that forced him out of his last start after six sensational innings. He'll oppose Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who has his own injury concerns. Dickey is dealing with neck and back issues that have limited his effectiveness, leaving the NL Cy Young Award winner struggling to recapture the form that saw him dominate last season. Toronto has dropped seven of eight.

TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), RSN (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (2-1, 1.67 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH R.A. Dickey (2-4, 4.50)

Iwakuma showed plenty of promise as a 31-year-old rookie in 2012, but few predicted such a meteoric rise in his second season. The Tokyo native has been among the best pitchers in the AL, posting five quality outings over his first six starts with 37 strikeouts and just five walks. He limited the Angels to an unearned run on three hits last time out, fanning eight without walking a batter. Iwakuma is 1-0 with a 5.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in nine career innings against Toronto.

Dickey hasn't been nearly as sharp as he would like to be, but the prognosis isn't all bad. The 38-year-old has allowed just 17 hits over his last four starts, though the nine walks he's issued over that same span are a cause for concern. Dickey took the loss in his last outing after surrendering three runs on four hits over seven innings in a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the New York Yankees. He's 3-1 with a 4.43 ERA in 22 1/3 lifetime innings against Seattle.

WALK-OFFS

1. Toronto, ranked last in the majors with a .226 average, has used 27 different batting orders over the first 30 games.

2. Iwakuma has surrendered just seven earned runs - and six of those have come via home runs.

3. Seattle has won six of the past seven head-to-head encounters.

PREDICTION: Mariners 4, Blue Jays 2