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LAD@SEA: Millwood talks about Mariners' no-hitter

Kevin Millwood has never lost a game in San Diego.

In eight career starts at Qualcomm Stadium and Petco Park, Millwood is 4-0 with a 3.30 ERA. The newer stadium has been especially nice to Millwood, as it has to most pitchers. In three starts at Petco Park, Millwood has allowed just five runs, walked just three and struck out 16 batters.

An outing in America's Finest City could be just the right thing to turn things around for Millwood when he takes the ball for the Mariners in Friday's series opener against the Padres.

Millwood hasn't won a game since May 23. That was his third win in as many starts, but a "W" has been hard to come by since. On the season, he's 3-5 with a 3.69 ERA. Last time out, Millwood allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk over five innings.

Opposing Millwood will be Clayton Richard. The lefty has won his last two starts, going at least seven innings in both. He's 4-7 on the season with a 3.94 ERA. He faced the Mariners on June 12, a game in which he threw seven innings of one-run ball. He struck out three and walked one in the win. In five career starts against Seattle, Richard is 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA.

This is the second meeting of the year between the two teams. The Padres swept the Mariners in Seattle last week, the first time they'd ever done so in Interleague Play.

Mariners: Montero rests
Catcher Jesus Montero got a day off on Wednesday ahead of the Mariners' off day on Thursday. Manager Eric Wedge said that the four-hour game on Tuesday affected Montero, and that the young catcher can still improve.

"There's nothing like baseball conditioning," Wedge said. "It's a different type of conditioning. He's still ramping up to catching in the big leagues."

• Casper Wells has always hit well against National League opponents. He boasts a .393 career average against the NL. This year has been no exception, as he's batting .481 with a home run and eight RBIs in 10 Interleague games.

Padres: Struggling hitters heat up
A pair of Padres -- outfielder Cameron Maybin and catcher Nick Hundley -- have been mired in some serious slumps of late. Maybin and Hundley entered Tuesday's game with the Rangers hitting .162 and .208, respectively, but both players picked up two hits.

"[Tuesday] was the best that I've felt," Maybin said. "I was taking good, aggressive swings. I've gotten back to my old mechanics. Looking forward, this is the most excited I've been. I'm ready now to get back to doing what I can do. I like where I'm at."

"The last four or five games, I've felt better at the plate," Hundley said. "[Tuesday], it was nice to find some holes. I wasn't trying to go the other way, but I'm trying to make adjustments to have better at-bats."

• Chase Headley had picked up a hit in seven straight games at Petco Park until his 0-for-4 performance on Wednesday. On the season, Headley is batting .263 at home, with nine doubles, two home runs and 16 RBIs.

Worth noting
• The Padres are 2-9 in Friday games this season.

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