Oakland @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 4, 2013 ) Seattle 2, Oakland 8

The Oakland Athletics are hoping that spending three days in Seattle will prove to be much more fun than the four they just spent in Cleveland. The Athletics suffered a four-game sweep against the Indians to drop to .500 on the season entering the three games against the Mariners, which start Friday. Oakland is 13-3 against American League West teams and 5-15 against everybody else. Seattle has won seven of its last 10 games and dominating Hisashi Iwakuma will start the opener.

Iwakuma is holding hitters to a .168 average while teaming with former Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez to form a top-notch duo. He defeated Oakland 7-1 on April 2 when he allowed one run and two hits in six innings to help the Mariners split the four-game season-opening series with the Athletics. Oakland’s rough trip to Cleveland included Wednesday’s 4-3 loss where Adam Rosales appeared to have hit a game-tying homer. The umpiring crew watched a video replay and ruled it was a double. Major League Baseball executive vice president Joe Torre said Thursday that the umpires made an “improper call” but the final score will hold. The Athletics are 6-14 over their last 20 contests.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet California (Oakland), ROOT (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Dan Straily (1-0, 5.94 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (3-1, 1.61)

Straily is making his fourth start of the season and received no-decisions in each of his last two. He gave up three runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings against the New York Yankees in his last outing. Straily has 21 strikeouts and just four walks in 16 2/3 innings. He wasn’t involved in the decision in his lone career outing against Seattle when he gave up four runs (three earned) in 4 1/3 innings last September.

Iwakuma has allowed one earned run or less in five of his seven starts. He has given up just 26 hits and eight walks in 44 2/3 innings while striking out 42. Iwakuma beat the Toronto Blue Jays in his last outing when he gave up one run and five hits in seven innings. He is 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against Oakland.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mariners OF Michael Morse went 6-for-16 with four homers in the season-opening series against the Athletics.

2. Oakland OF Yoenis Cespedes is 3-for-6 with two homers off Iwakuma and has eight homers in 80 career at-bats against Seattle pitchers.

3. Seattle DH Kendrys Morales has two homers against Straily and 14 in 56 career games against the Athletics.

PREDICTION: Mariners 3, Athletics 0