Seattle fell to Toronto 7-5 on Thursday for its 12th straight loss. That’s tied for the second-longest in team history. Only longer one is a 14-game streak in 1992. The Mariners were actually 43-43 when their 12-game losing streak began with a 2-0 defeat at Oakland on July 6. Seattle is the first major-league team to post a losing streak of at least 12 games which began when its record was .500 or better since the 2002 Mets, who were 58-57 through Aug. 9 and then lost their next 12 games.

The Mariners are pretty much last in every major offensive category in baseball. The Red Sox, meanwhile, lead baseball in almost every major offensive category. Boston, which was off Thursday, leads the AL East by two games over the Yankees. And the Red Sox are active as usual in the trade market, with Carlos Beltran being one name mentioned although his price may be too high.

If there’s one pitcher who can slow Boston, it’s tonight’s Mariners starter Felix Hernandez (8-8, 3.26), the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. He is 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA in nine career starts against the Red Sox and has fared well at Fenway, going 3-0 with a 1.49 ERA in five starts. He pitched there May 1, allowing two runs in seven innings but didn’t get the decision. The Red Sox start one of the AL’s worst pitchers in John Lackey (7-8, 6.70). He faced the Mariners on April 30 and allowed two runs in six innings. The right-hander has gone 8-2 with a 2.01 ERA with three shutouts in his last 11 starts versus the Mariners.

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