Seattle @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 29, 2014 ) Seattle 5, Cleveland 2

Seattle ace Felix Hernandez tries to set a major-league record that reflects his consistent excellence when the Mariners visit the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday in the middle contest of their three-game series. Hernandez has recorded an American League-record 13 starts with at least seven innings while yielding two or fewer runs, sharing the all-time standard with Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver (1971). The All-Star is 7-1 with a 1.36 ERA while striking out 113 and walking 17 during that span.

Hernandez opposes Corey Kluber, who retired the first 19 batters he faced in his last outing while extending his unbeaten streak to four starts with a no-decision. Seattle remained two games behind Toronto for the final wild-card spot in the AL with a 5-2 victory in Tuesday's series opener - snapping a six-game losing streak in Cleveland - while the Indians fell five games off the pace with their fifth loss in six contests. The Mariners have a hot hitter on their hands in Dustin Ackley, who went 3-for-5 with two RBIs on Tuesday and is batting .444 in his last 11 games to raise his season average to .256.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Felix Hernandez (11-2, 1.99 ERA) vs. Indians RH Corey Kluber (10-6, 2.77)

Hernandez settled for his second straight no-decision after allowing one run and five hits while fanning 10 in seven innings of Seattle's 2-1 loss to Baltimore on Friday - his fifth consecutive game with eight or more strikeouts. The 28-year-old Venezuelan, who leads the AL in ERA and quality starts (20) while second in strikeouts (173), hasn't lost since a 1-0 setback to Texas on June 11. Hernandez is 7-5 with a 2.98 ERA in 15 outings against Cleveland - including a 3-0 victory in Seattle on June 29, when he yielded one hit and struck out nine in eight innings - but is 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA in nine turns at Progressive Field.

Kluber received a no-decision after permitting one unearned run and two hits while striking out 10 for the second straight game in the Indians' 2-1 loss at Kansas City in 14 innings. "I wish we'd had some runs so we could sit back and really enjoy it, because that was special,'' Cleveland manager Terry Francona told reporters about the 24-year-old Alabama native, who went the deepest into a game without allowing a baserunner by a Cleveland pitcher since Len Barker's perfect game on May 15, 1981. ''You can use all the adjectives you want. He had dominating stuff.'' Kluber, who never has faced the Mariners, is 5-2 with a 3.01 ERA in 10 home starts this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Mariners' bullpen recorded two scoreless innings Tuesday and has a major league-best 2.38 ERA.

2. Cleveland is 29-20 while playing a major league-low 49 home games.

3. Seattle C Mike Zunino homered in his last two contests and has 16 this season, sharing the team lead with All-Star 3B Kyle Seager.

PREDICTION: Mariners 3, Indians 2