Seattle @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( May 7, 2013 ) Seattle 1, Pittsburgh 4

Runs figure to be at a premium Wednesday when the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates conclude their two-game series at PNC Park. The Mariners’ Felix Hernandez faces the Pirates’ A.J. Burnett is a game featuring two of the majors’ top strikeout pitchers. The timing isn’t good for Seattle’s struggling offense, which was held to three hits in a 10-2 loss in Toronto on Sunday and five hits in a 4-1 setback to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen’s at-bats against Hernandez should be worth the price of admission alone. McCutchen was 4-for-4 with an RBI on Tuesday, and is hitting .464 with four runs and five RBIs over the past seven games. As good as McCutchen has been, the Pirates’ bullpen might be the main reason they’re only two games back of first-place St. Louis in the National League Central. Setup man Mark Melancon has an 0.53 ERA with 17 strikeouts and no walks and closer Jason Grilli is 13-for-13 in save opportunities.

TV: 12:35 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Seattle), ROOT Sports (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Felix Hernandez (4-2, 1.60 ERA) vs. Pirates RH A.J. Burnett (3-2, 2.57)

Hernandez turned in another dominant performance Friday at Toronto with eight shutout innings. He has allowed two earned runs in his last 30 innings covering four starts and is 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA with 35 strikeouts and two walks during that stretch. The 27-year-old is 13-7 with a 2.88 ERA in 26 interleague starts, and he threw eight shutout innings in his only appearance against the Pirates in 2007. Hernandez has recorded 23 starts of at least eight shutout innings since his debut in 2005.

Burnett has won each of his last three decisions while not allowing more than three earned runs in any of his first seven starts. The 36-year-old is coming off an impressive effort against the Nationals on Friday when he gave up one run over seven innings in a 3-1 victory. He is 3-2 with a 3.71 ERA in eight career starts against the Mariners and has pitched at least seven innings in five of the eight starts. Jason Bay is 8-for-22 with a home run against Burnett, who owns a 57-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates C Russell Martin missed Tuesday’s game with neck stiffness and is listed as day-to-day.

2. Seattle is 1-11 when its starting pitcher fails to complete at least six innings.

3. The Pirates placed RHP James McDonald on the 15-day disabled list and recalled INF Josh Harrison from Triple-A Indianapolis.

PREDICTION: Mariners 2, Pirates 1