The New York Yankees still have the best record in baseball at 57-38, but they enter Monday night's opening game of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field reeling just a bit. The Yankees have lost four straight, having been swept by the Oakland Athletics.

The Yankees lost all four games of the series by one run. The four-game losing streak is the Yankees' longest of the season.

"We lost four games by a total of four runs," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "That's no fun. Gotta put it behind you and get ready for Seattle."

The Mariners are last in the American League West. New York has seen its 10-game lead in the American League shrink to six games over the second-place Baltimore Orioles, who have won five straight.

The Yankees send Hiroki Kuroda (9-7, 3.46 ERA) to the mound Monday night vs. Seattle's Kevin Millwood (3-7, 4.15). Game time is 10:10 p.m. ET and will be televised on the YES Network.

Starters in the final two games of the series are as follows:

• Tuesday: Freddy Garcia, Yankees (4-5, 5.37) vs. Felix Hernandez (8-5, 2.82)
• Wednesday: Ivan Nova, Yankees (10-4, 4.10) vs. Hisashi Iwakuma (1-2, 4.86)

Nick Swisher of the Yankees is likely to sit out the series with a hip injury.