Seattle @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 5, 2013 ) Seattle 4, Cincinnati 2
The Seattle Mariners seek to continue their dominance of the Cincinnati Reds when the teams meet Saturday in the second contest of a three-game series on the banks of the Ohio River. Seattle won the opener 4-2 to improve to 9-1 all-time against the Reds, including four victories without a loss in Cincinnati. The third-place Reds had their three-game winning streak snapped and slipped to 4 1/2 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central.
Mariners rookie shortstop Brad Miller batted leadoff for the first time in his seven-game major-league career and hit two triples – becoming the first Seattle player with two in one game since Carlos Guillen in 2003. Cincinnati is 29-15 at home and Friday’s defeat was just the third in its last nine outings on friendly soil. Reds outfielder Jay Bruce, who has gone deep 18 times, has struck out 16 times during a 10-game homerless stretch.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), Fox Sports Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Jeremy Bonderman (1-2, 4.05 ERA) vs. Reds RH Mat Latos (7-2, 3.03)
Bonderman struggled against the Chicago Cubs in his last outing and gave up six runs (four earned) and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. He had allowed just four runs in 25 1/3 over his previous four starts. Bonderman lost his lone career start against Cincinnati, yielding seven runs in three innings in 2006 when he pitched for the Detroit Tigers.
Latos has lost two of his last three starts after winning his first six decisions. He has fanned 31 in 19 1/3 innings during the recent stretch, including a 13-strikeout effort against Arizona on June 23 that matched his career high. Latos is 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA in three career starts against Seattle.
WALK-OFFS
1. Reds 1B Joey Votto, who was 2-for-4 with a homer in the opener, is 10-for-28 during a seven-game hitting streak.
2. Mariners OF Raul Ibanez is hitting .370 during an 11-game hitting streak, but is 0-for-11 in his career against Latos.
3. Cincinnati OF Shin-Soo Choo is 4-for-13 with a homer and three doubles against Bonderman.
PREDICTION: Reds 5, Mariners 2