Back in a tie atop the American League West standings following a weekend sweep of the White Sox in Chicago, the Seattle Mariners look to continue their road success on Monday when they open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.
The Mariners arrive in Boston after Cal Raleigh homered for the second straight day, while Victor Robles and recent acquisition Randy Arozarena had two hits apiece in a 6-3 win on Sunday.
“We’re getting some momentum here with our club offensively, which is key. It’s really key,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “Everybody knows how we lean on our pitching. But the guys on offense need to step up. We’re starting to see that.”
The Red Sox will provide a stiffer challenge than the White Sox, who have lost 14 straight games for the second time this season, but it was a positive series for Seattle, starting off with a 10-0 win.
Arozarena, who has three hits over his first two games as with the Mariners, brings a spark to the lineup.
“He’s just made for the big moment,” fellow outfielder Luke Raley said. “He just always seems like he’s in control and relaxed and calm.”
Seattle right-hander Logan Gilbert (6-6, 2.72 ERA) gets the start on Monday. He leads the American League with a 0.86 WHIP and is tied for the top of the league with 17 quality starts, but he allowed five runs (one earned) in 6 2/3 innings of a 5-1 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.
Gilbert has no decisions and a 3.12 ERA across four career starts against Boston, including seven innings of one-run ball in Seattle’s eventual 4-3 win in 10 innings on March 30.
The Red Sox enter the series after letting the opportunity of a third straight series win over the New York Yankees slip away, dropping consecutive games including, an 8-2 Sunday decision.
Boston is 11-10 in July, with most of those wins coming before the All-Star break. The Red Sox are just 2-7 since then.
“We had the ball in the ninth inning a few times and we didn’t finish games. Obviously, it doesn’t look great, but from my end we’re OK,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I don’t think a stretch of nine games indicates who we are.”
Nick Pivetta (4-7, 4.50) looks to bounce back from being rocked for 10 hits and seven earned runs — including two home runs — over 2 2/3 innings of a 20-7 Wednesday loss in Colorado.
Pivetta had struck out 28 over his previous three outings, but still has not recorded a win since June 17 in Toronto.
The right-hander is 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA in four career outings against Seattle, including 10-strikeout performances in each of his past two. He took the 1-0 loss on March 29 in Seattle, allowing just one run on three hits in six innings.
The upcoming series, however, looks to be a challenge, especially after Seattle’s recent roster upgrades. The Red Sox also made an addition over the weekend, welcoming catcher Danny Jansen from the division rival Toronto Blue Jays.
“It’s going to be another tough series, but our schedule the last couple of months, there’s nothing easy about it, so we’ve got to figure it out and figure it out fast,” Boston outfielder Rob Refsnyder said.
–Field Level Media