BALTIMORE -- After sitting out the Mariners' two games against the Red Sox over the weekend and enjoying an off-day on Monday, first baseman Richie Sexson returned to the lineup on Tuesday and will attempt to break free from what has become a season-long slump.

Sexson batted just .165 in July, his lowest single-month total this year, and had only one hit in his last 21 trips to the plate entering Tuesday's game. But for a career .264 hitter, who has never finished a season of at least 25 games batting lower than .255, it's a surprise.

Seattle manager John McLaren said the 12-year veteran will snap out of his funk in due time, and the Mariners' three-game series vs. the Orioles is a great chance to do it.

"It's a good ballpark for him and he's got good history on [Tuesday's starter] Steve Trachsel," McLaren said. "We gave him a couple days to sit back and relax and sort things out. He's got a good run left in him and we could use him. He's a big piece of the puzzle."

Despite his struggles, Sexson's 17 home runs are tied for the most on the team. But aside from his homers, he hasn't amassed anything in the form of offensive success thus far. He's also struck out 82 times, more than any other Mariner.

"He's got legitimate power and he can carry [the ball] and hit homers," McLaren said. "He's got to get on that streak, and that's what we're looking for."

Sexson has had at least 100 RBIs in five of his last six seasons, but through 98 games this season, he only has 54. Yet, as McLaren said, with a 4-for-10 clip, including a double, a home run and three RBIs against Trachsel, Sexson may need to use his past success to spring him out of his slump on Tuesday.

"He's been working hard and doing some extra stuff with [hitting coach] Jeff [Pentland] in the cage," McLaren said. "I've got confidence in him, and I think he's going to start feeling good about himself. When he does, look out. He can be a force."

He's fast, to boot: Last week, Ichiro Suzuki became just one of three players in Major League history to steal at least 30 bases in each of his first seven seasons.

McLaren said Ichiro's speed makes him the complete player he is and allows him to wreak havoc when he's on the basepaths.

"He's a very intelligent player," McLaren said. "He reads the pitcher and knows when to go. His percentage is way up there -- he just knows when to run."

Ichiro has a 90 percent success rate over his last three seasons, the highest over a three-year span by any player since 1951.

Paternity leave: Infielder Ben Broussard flew out of Baltimore less than 24 hours after he arrived to celebrate the birth of his second child, a 7-pound, 12-ounce daughter named Laynie. His wife, Brenda, gave birth to Broussard's second daughter and he returned to his home in Beaumont, Texas.

McLaren said Broussard will return to the lineup for Wednesday's contest.

Hot, hot, hot: The dog days of summer have officially arrived, and the heat will no doubt affect players on Seattle's current road trip. The game-time temperature on Tuesday was 105 degrees, and the National Weather Service forecasts the high temperatures to be 103 on Wednesday and 98 on Thursday.

McLaren said it will become increasingly important to keep an eye on his pitchers, as they will fatigue very rapidly in the heat and humidity.

"The pitchers dictate it, but you have to watch," McLaren said. "If you can see him sucking wind, even if it's not getting late, we may have to get him out of there."

Quotable: "It'll be a big trip for us to get something positive going." -- McLaren, on the Mariners' trying to string wins together on their six-game road trip after going 1-6 on their last swing away from SAFECO Field

Up next: Seattle continues its three-game set against the Orioles amidst the heat wave in Baltimore on Wednesday at 4:05 p.m. PT. Right-hander Felix Hernandez (7-6, 3.89 ERA) will face standout rookie Jeremy Guthrie (7-3, 2.96).