Seattle @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 15, 2013 ) Seattle 4, Oakland 0

Hisashi Iwakuma seeks to beat Oakland for the third time this season when the Seattle Mariners conclude a three-game series with the host Athletics on Sunday. Iwakuma set the tone for his fine season by defeating Oakland in his first start of the campaign and then topped the Athletics again on May 10. Oakland's Bartolo Colon has won five consecutive starts and will strive to prevent Seattle from sweeping the series.

The Athletics won 21 of 26 games prior to the start of the three-game set and have dropped their first series since mid-May against the Texas Rangers. Seattle used strong efforts from starters Joe Saunders and Felix Hernandez to win the first two games, and the newly acquired Henry Blanco hit a grand slam in his debut to account for all four runs in Saturday’s contest. Oakland has a two-game lead over Texas in the American League West but is just 3-6 against the Mariners this season.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Seattle), CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (7-1, 1.79 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Bartolo Colon (8-2, 2.92)

Iwakuma hasn’t allowed an earned run since the second inning of his May 26 start against the Rangers. He worked 23 2/3 scoreless innings until Houston pushed across an unearned run in the third frame of his last start in which he allowed four hits over seven innings. Iwakuma has won five straight decisions and has posted an 0.82 WHIP while holding opposing hitters to a .190 average.

Colon has allowed three runs in 36 innings during a winning streak that followed a four-start stretch during which he gave up 17 runs in 21 1/3 frames. He has walked only 10 in 83 1/3 innings, but four came in his last outing - a six-inning stint against the New York Yankees. Colon is 16-12 with a 3.97 ERA in 33 career starts against Seattle.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics OF Coco Crisp was 2-for-4 on Saturday and is batting .364 in June.

2. Seattle OF/1B Michael Morse had his second three-hit performance of the season Saturday.

3. Oakland OF Yoenis Cespedes is 3-for-9 with two solo homers against Iwakuma.

PREDICTION: Mariners 2, Athletics 1