Seattle @ Houston preview

Seattle at Houston

Last Meeting ( Jul 19, 2013 ) Seattle 10, Houston 7

The Seattle Mariners continue their chase for history when they visit the American League West rival Houston Astros on Saturday for the middle contest of their three-game series. The All-Star break did nothing to sap the power from the bats of Seattle, which belted four home runs in a series-opening 10-7 victory on Friday. Brad Miller led the way with his first two major-league blasts while Kyle Seager and Justin Smoak also went deep as the Mariners extended their winning streak to a season-high four games.

Seattle has homered in a franchise-record 23 consecutive games, the longest streak in the majors since the Atlanta Braves also recorded a 23-game run in 2006. It's the longest streak in the AL since the Texas Rangers set the major-league record in 2002 by homering in 27 straight contests. Houston has lost six of its last seven overall games and seven of eight at home.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Seattle), CSN Houston

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (8-4, 3.02 ERA) vs. Astros LH Erik Bedard (3-6, 4.61)

Iwakuma ended a five-start winless stretch in his last outing, allowing three runs over seven innings in a triumph over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. The 32-year-old native of Japan has yielded at least three earned runs in each of his last six starts after giving up a total of one unearned run in his previous three outings. Iwakuma recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts in a loss at Houston on April 23 before yielding an unearned run over seven innings in a home triumph over the Astros on June 10.

Bedard has lost each of his last three starts, including a setback at Tampa Bay on Sunday in which he yielded three runs - two earned - and eight hits over five innings. The 34-year-old has allowed at least three runs in each of his last four outings after giving up two or fewer in seven of his previous eight turns. Bedard, who is 1-3 with a 4.78 ERA in six career starts against the Mariners, allowed one hit over four scoreless innings in a no-decision at Seattle on April 9.

WALK-OFFS

1. Houston CF Brandon Barnes went 5-for-5 on Friday while registering the eighth cycle in franchise history. The rookie was the first Astro to accomplish the feat since Luke Scott in 2006.

2. Seattle has hit a major league-high 41 home runs since June 20.

3. Houston's Jason Castro hit his 26th double of the year in the series opener, breaking the single-season club record for a catcher set in 1997 by Brad Ausmus.

PREDICTION: Mariners 6, Astros 3