The Mariners must be aching for this month to end, as they’ve gone 11-13 in May and have lost seven of their last nine. But before they could say hello to June, they have to take on the Rockies on the road in a three-game series beginning today.
The well has simply run dry for Seattle’s offense lately. They have been outscored by their opponents, 52-14, in their past nine games. That stretch included five straight outings in which the Mariners produced just a run (!) and a back-to-back scoreless night. They are, however, coming off a 5-0 win at Fenway Park Sunday, and the Mariners will have some momentum to work with going into Coors Field. The Mariners are 5-1 in their last six visits to Colorado dating back to 2012.
Sam Gaviglio will make his third start of the season and will look to sustain his impressive performance as a temporary option for Seattle’s injury-riddled pitching staff. Gaviglio is 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts. He pitched six innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 loss in Washington on May 24. Gaviglio is going to need more than one run as cushion though, especially against the hard-hitting Rockies. The Mariners are last in run support in the majors this month.
Jean Segura, who went 2-for-5 in Sunday’s win over Boston, is 5-for-15 with a homer in his career against Colorado starter, Tyler Chatwood.
Unlike the Mariners, Colorado has little trouble supplying its pitchers with ample amount of run support. In fact, they’re exactly on the other end of the spectrum opposite to Seattle in terms of run support this month, leading the majors in that department with 7.53.
That’s the kind of offense Gaviglio will be dealing with later today at Coors Field, a hitter-friendly stadium that ranks second in ESPN’s MLB Park Factors. The Rockies are also third in the majors in batting average at home (.331).
Charlie Blackmon is a beast at Coors Field this year, as he is batting .398 with eight homers at home. Mark Reynolds is seeing a career jumpstart in Colorado. He is hitting .320 this season while leading the Rockies in homers with 13.
Tyler Chatwood, who makes a start for Colorado later, threw a gem in his last outing, pitching seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in a 7-2 home win over Philadelphia on May 24. He is 4-6 with a 4.50 ERA in 10 starts this year.
