Seattle @ Cleveland preview
Progressive Field
Last Meeting ( May 18, 2013 ) Seattle 4, Cleveland 5
The Cleveland Indians are no stranger to close games and figure to be in for another one Sunday when they host the Seattle Mariners in the third of a four-game set. The Indians won their seventh consecutive one-run game Saturday on Mark Reynolds’ walk-off fielder’s choice grounder after Seattle rallied to tie it in the ninth, giving Cleveland its second victory in its final at-bat in as many days. In Friday’s series opener, Jason Kipnis delivered a walk-off, three-run homer in a 10-inning win.
Runs figure to be at a premium, however, as staff ace Justin Masterson squares off against Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, who leads the American League with a 1.53 ERA. Hernandez is 6-4 with a 2.90 ERA in 13 outings against the Indians and will get the tall task of halting Cleveland’s 16-4 run over its last 20 games after leaving his last start with a sore back. He’ll also try to help the Mariners avoid their first three-game slide since April 19-21.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Seattle), Sports Time Ohio (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Felix Hernandez (5-2, 1.53 ERA) vs. Indians RH Justin Masterson (6-2, 3.14)
Hernandez, who has allowed one run or less in six consecutive starts, dominated the Yankees for six innings in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss in New York, leaving after his back tightened up. The 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner settled for the no-decision despite yielding one run on five hits while striking out eight. The three-time All-Star is 4-1 with a 1.29 ERA in six road outings this season, but is 3-4 with a 4.02 ERA in eight career starts at Progressive Field.
Masterson has won three straight decisions, shutting down the Yankees the day before Hernandez faced them in a 1-0 victory. The Indians’ ace tossed a four-hitter Monday – his second shutout this season – and struck out nine to improve to 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA at home. The sinkerballer has induced at least 10 groundouts in six of his nine starts and also enjoyed great success against the Mariners in nine appearances (six starts), going 3-0 with a 3.67 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cleveland, which is 11-3 overall in one-run games, is also 6-1 against former Cy Young Award winners this season.
2. Seattle OF Raul Ibanez has homered six times and driven in 14 runs over his last seven games.
3. Two of the Mariners’ three walk-off losses have occurred over the first two games of this series.
PREDICTION: Mariners 3, Indians 1