Back-to-back victories stemming from Wednesday’s 7-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles is just what the Seattle Mariners needed to put their recent five-game skid in the rear view mirror and get back on track in the wild card race.
Things won’t get easier for the M’s, though, as they’re now set to play their next 12 games in the East Coast. On the bright side, their offense is starting to pick up at the right moment. Shortstop Jean Segura had three hits on Wednesday and has gone 15-of-37 at the plate (.405) over the last nine games.
Meanwhile, Yonder Alonso finally lived up to his slugging power since moving to the Northwest on August 6, knocking a solo shot out of Camden Yards for his first home run as a Mariner and his 23rd of the year. Alonso also drove in three of his team’s seven runs during Wednesday’s win.
Set to start on Friday against the Rays is Erasmo Ramirez (4-4, 4.73 ERA), who’ll be facing his former team that traded him on July 28th. Ramirez looked very sharp in his last outing, throwing six innings of one-run ball against the Angels.
Seattle has also won seven of its last nine meetings versus Tampa Bay, giving the visiting team even more of an edge in Friday’s contest.
Headed in the opposite direction and seemingly out of playoff contention now are the Tampa Bay Rays, who took a 5-3 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday for their sixth defeat in seven games.
Tampa Bay’s offense has been dismal during those six losses with the team scoring just a total of nine runs, including a pair of shutout stinkers against the Indians last week.
Perhaps Friday’s starter in Austin Pruitt (6-3, 5.07 ERA) can turned things around for the Rays. The right-handed Pruitt lasted no less than six innings in each of his last three starts, boasting a sweet 1.96 ERA over that span.
Contrary to the Mariners, the Rays will begin a six-game homestand this Friday. However, that’s more of a curse than a blessing right now, as they’ve lost seven of their last nine games in Tropicana Field.
Writer’s Prediction
The Mariners (+120) get off to a fine start in their lengthy road trip with a 5-2 victory.
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