It’s been a disappointing season thus far for Seattle Mariners. With a 46-53 record, the Mariners are 9.5 games out of first place in the AL West—a disappointing situation for a team that began the season favored to win the division. As for the Arizona Diamondbacks (46-51), they need to start winning in bunches if they have any plans of joining the wild card race in the National League.
Read on for a detailed preview of this game. You can also click here for an overview of tonight’s matchup between the Yankees and the Rangers.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Seattle Mariners Preview
Where: Safeco Field, Seattle
When: Monday, July 27, 2015, 10:10 PMET
Line: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Seattle Mariners – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Arizona Diamondbacks
[sc:MLB240banner ]Short and terrible. That’s pretty much how Robbie Ray (3-5, 2.72 ERA) would describe his last start. He’ll look to bounce back when he guns for just his second win this July, as he takes on the Mariners later tonight. Across four starts this month, Ray is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA.
Against the Marlins last Wednesday, Ray lasted for just four-plus innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits in a 5-3 Arizona loss. He also struck out four and walked three batters, the most he’s given up in seven starts. It wasn’t just a good night for the up and comer, who has shown flashes of brilliance this season—especially on the road. In fact, Ray pitches better when he’s away from the desert, as evidenced by his 3-2 record, 1.35 ERA, and .177 opponents’ batting average through five road starts this year.
Paul Goldschmidt and company, however, will have to cobble up enough runs to back the rookie. Ray did not get much from the D-backs lineup over his last two road starts, wherein Arizona managed to score just four total runs. Goldy, along with Aaron Hill, has been killing it at the plate since the second half kicked off. Goldschmidt is 11-for-27 (.407) with four doubles and four RBIs in his last nine games. Hill, meanwhile, is 4-for-10 (.400) in his previous six games.
Arizona is 3-1 in its last four games.
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Betting on the Seattle Mariners
After a catastrophic outing against Detroit last Wednesday, it’s clear that Mike Montgomery is still not out of the woods. In that game, Montgomery was massacred by the Tigers’ offense, as he gave up six runs on six hits in just 2.2 innings of work in a 9-4 Seattle defeat.
That performance was just a continuation of Montgomery’s run of forgettable starts this month, wherein he is just 1-2 with an astronomical ERA of 6.98. Montgomery (4-4, 3.25 ERA) aims to end his swoon when he takes the mound of Safeco Field for the first time since the midseason break. He’ll have to bring his A-game, though, as the Diamondbacks are among the better hitting team against lefties. So far this season, the D-backs are batting .264/.329/.398 against southpaws.
In any case, Montgomery is hoping that he’ll benefit from the sudden spike in production of Seattle’s offense of late. The Mariners have averaged 5.0 runs in their last four games, even outscoring the hard-hitting Blue Jays in a recent three-game set, 17-15.
Mike Zunino has had one of the best bats in the lineup as of late. Zunino, who sat out Seattle’s 6-5 win over Toronto on Sunday to rest, is on a seven-game hitting streak. During that stretch, the catcher has gone 9-for-20 (.450) with four doubles and four RBIs. Robinson Cano, meanwhile, is starting to look like the player Seattle paid megabucks to play for them. After a .251/.290/.370 first half, Cano is now batting .350/.409/.725 with four taters and 11 RBIs since the All-Star break.
Dating back to 2001, Seattle is 4-0 in its last four home games against the Diamondbacks.
Writer’s Prediction
Arizona wins, 6-3.
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