MLB

• Twins put win streak on the line against King Felix, Mariners

  (Sports Network) - Winners of six in a row, the Minnesota Twins host the Seattle Mariners tonight in the second of three weekend games between the AL squads.

  Felix Hernandez will get the ball for Seattle tonight, and while this season has been bitterly disappointing for the Mariners, the ace of their staff has been as good as expected. Sure, his 7-7 record is mediocre, but the more telling stat is Hernandez's 2.86 ERA. The stud righty was roughed up a bit on Monday, however, allowing nine hits and four earned runs over seven innings of a loss to the White Sox.

  Hernandez is 1-0 against Minnesota this season and 4-3 lifetime against the Twins with a 2.56 ERA.

  Speaking of the Twins, they will send Kevin Slowey to the bump today. Slowey is 9-5 on the season with a 4.76 ERA and has pitched much better recently after a string of struggles. On Sunday, the righty allowed just one earned run on five hits in six innings against Baltimore and picked up a victory.

  Slowey did not figure in the decision of his only previous appearance of the season against Seattle despite pitching well. He is 1-1 all-time against the Mariners with a 5.09 ERA.

  On Friday, Jim Thome and Alexi Casilla both clubbed a two-run homer, as the streaking Twins beat Seattle, 5-3, in the opener of this series.

  J.J. Hardy had two hits and scored two runs for the Twins, who remain 1 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the AL Central standings despite the season-best winning streak.

  Minnesota's Scott Baker (9-9) gave up three runs on seven hits and walked four over 5 1/3 innings. New Twins closer Matt Capps, acquired from Washington on Thursday for two minor leaguers, pitched the ninth to earn the save in his debut.

  Josh Wilson had a two-run double for Seattle, which had been swept in a four- game series by the White Sox in Chicago. Doug Fister (3-7) surrendered five runs -- two earned -- on five hits in five innings to absorb the loss. The towering right-hander hasn't won since May 14, a span of 10 starts.

  Seattle has given the Twins some problems this year, however, having taken three of four meetings between the teams at Safeco Field earlier this season. The Mariners have also won five of the past seven games in this overall series despite Friday's loss.

  07/31 11:05:25 ET