(Sports Network) - After falling out of first place in the American League Central over the weekend, the Minnesota Twins are hoping a few games against the circuit's worst team will get them back on top.

Minnesota continues its lengthy road trip tonight with the first of three consecutive meetings with the win-challenged Seattle Mariners from Safeco Field.

The Twins kicked off this mammoth 14-game, four-city trek with back-to-back wins over the AL West-leading Angels, but lost the final two tests of the series. Sunday's 5-3 defeat to Anaheim, coupled with Chicago's victory over Tampa Bay, put the White Sox one half-game in front of Minnesota for first place in the division.

Minnesota took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning yesterday, but the Angels scored three times against relievers Dennys Reyes and Jesse Crain to move in front. Crain (5-3) gave up the final two runs on a pair of triples to receive the loss.

Justin Morneau ended 3-for-4 with a homer and knocked in all three Minnesota runs in the loss, only the Twins' third in their last 11 games. Starting pitcher Kevin Slowey held the Angels to two runs over a solid 6 1/3 innings.

The Twins will try to get back on track tonight behind red-hot pitcher Francisco Liriano. The young lefty has been sensational since being recalled from the minors earlier this month, winning all four of his starts and yielding just three earned runs over a span of 23 2/3 innings.

Liriano's latest victim was the Oakland Athletics, who mustered just one unearned run in five innings against the talented hurler this past Wednesday.

Prior to that outing, Liriano beat the Mariners with seven innings of two-run ball -- both of which were unearned -- at the Metrodome on August 15. He gave up only two hits in that contest.

The 24-year-old Dominican, who went 12-3 with a stellar 2.16 earned run average as a rookie in 2006 but missed all of last season due to elbow surgery, owns a 2-1 record and a 1.50 ERA over three starts against Seattle.

While Liriano has been unbeatable as of late, it's been seemingly ages since the Mariners' Miguel Batista posted a victory. The badly struggling veteran, who takes the mound for Seattle tonight, hasn't won since July 5 and is a woeful 4-12 with a 6.55 ERA on the season while shuffling between the rotation and the bullpen.

Batista had been working solely in relief lately, as this will be his first start since August 4. He faced the Twins that night and was shelled for six runs and seven hits in a three-inning no-decision.

For his career, the 37-year-old is 2-1 with a 5.86 ERA in nine games (5 starts) against Minnesota.

Seattle has lost eight of its last 10 games but did manage a couple of victories over fellow AL West punching bag Oakland this past weekend. The Mariners earned a split of the four-game set with Sunday's 8-4 triumph.

Jose Lopez belted a three-run homer and Kenji Johjima added a solo shot for the last-place Mariners. Miguel Cairo added a double and triple while knocking in two of the team's eight runs.

Seattle's offensive surge allowed Felix Hernandez (8-8) to even his season record. The Mariners phenom gave up three runs on four hits while fanning seven over the first six innings.

Minnesota swept a three-game series from Seattle at the Metrodome from August 15-17, but the Mariners took two of the three meetings between the clubs at Safeco Field earlier this month.