The Mariners hit decently in the series-opener with the Royals Thursday night (10-for-36, .277), but eventually fell, 6-4, for their second straight defeat. With the loss, they also remained winless against Kansas City this season (0-4).
Projected starter James Paxton will be looking to change that. The fourth-year pro is currently enjoying the best season of his career, as he is 11-3 with a 2.80 ERA in 18 starts, with zero allowed runs (10 hits) and 18 strikeouts in his last 13 innings. Further, he has also helped the Ms earn a win in each of his last six appearances.
Offensively, Nelson Cruz and Danny Valencia will be the guys to keep an eye on, as the two combine to go 12-for-28 (.429) with two homers in four games against the Royals this season.
The Royals broke out of the three-game funk they’re in with that 6-4 win. It’s only the beginning of a six-game homestand, so it’s good to expect more victories.
More than home field advantage, though, is the list of quality batters. Eric Hosmer, despite going blank last night, is still batting a .321 in the past week and Lorenzo Cain is a scorching .429 (8-for-19) in the same span. New acquisition Melky Cabrera could contribute well again too – he went 2-for-3 with one dinger in his Kansas City debut yesterday.
The potential trouble – if there’s any – will be in the pitching, since Jason Hammel, who’s 5-8 with a 4.75 ERA in 21 starts, isn’t having a fine campaign. What’s good, however, is that the Royals have won in his last three appearances, and he has held the Mariners’ current roster to a passable .276 average (29-for-105).
