(SportsNetwork.com) - Felix Hernandez will try to battle past some tough luck against Texas on Saturday night as the Seattle Mariners host the second contest of a three-game set versus the Rangers.
Hernandez won his first three starts of the season before getting a no- decision at Texas on April 16. He pitched well, though, giving up one run on four hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven innings in a game his club won 3-2.
The right-hander went 0-4 versus the Rangers last season in five starts despite a desirable 2.01 earned run average.
Hernandez gets set for this rematch having lost his first game of the season on Monday versus Houston. The 28-year-old yielded six runs, just two earned, over seven frames and fanned only four while falling to 3-1 with a 2.04 ERA on the year.
Texas' Colby Lewis will make his third start of the season having split a pair of decisions while pitching to a 4.22 ERA.
The 34-year-old righty made his season debut on April 14 against the Mariners and it was his first start since July 18, 2002. He took a loss, giving up four runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Lewis rebounded to beat the Chicago White Sox last Saturday as he scattered a run, six hits and one walk over another 5 1/3 frames.
"It's pretty sentimental. It's one of those victories that I'm just excited about," said Lewis, who had been out while rehabbing elbow and hip surgery.
Lewis is 6-5 with a 3.62 ERA in 19 previous encounters with the Mariners, including 15 starts.
Seattle handed Texas just its second loss in 10 games by winning Friday night's opener 6-5. Justin Smoak hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the eighth inning, then secured a game-saving catch in the ninth.
After going up 6-3, Seattle's Fernando Rodney walked Michael Choice and Elvis Andrus back-to-back with the bases loaded and one out. Adrian Beltre, who was just activated off the disabled list Friday, then lined a ball destined for the right-field corner, but Smoak made the diving stop at first and then stepped on the bag to complete the double play.
"Stretched as far as I could stretch and it happened to go in the glove," Smoak said.
Robinson Cano hit a two-run double for the Mariners, who have won two in a row following an eight-game skid.
Prince Fielder had two hits and scored once for the Rangers, while Beltre went 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI. He returned from a strained left quad and Texas made room for him on the roster by placing third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff on the DL with lower back tightness.
Texas took three of four from the Mariners earlier in the year.
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