The Seattle Mariners have an opportunity to win a road series on Sunday when they face the Miami Marlins.
Seattle, despite leading the American League West, is just 1-5-1 over its past seven road series.
In this current series, Miami won 3-2 in 10 innings on Friday. But Seattle came back and won 9-0 on Saturday.
Overall, Seattle is 27-12 at home this season. On the road, the Mariners are just 18-22.
Mariners manager Scott Servais said there have been several factors behind Seattle’s losing road record.
“I don’t know if the numbers show it,” Servais said on Saturday, “but it seems like we haven’t controlled the counts on the road as well as we have at home.
“Timely hitting has been more prevalent at home.”
The Mariners certainly broke that trend on Saturday as they pounded 15 hits. The offense was so good that Seattle’s last three hitters in the batting order combined for nine hits: Dominic Canzone 4-for-5; Dylan Moore 2-for-5; and Ryan Bliss 3-for-4.
On Sunday, Seattle will start right-hander Bryce Miller (6-5, 3.46 ERA). Miller was Miami’s 38th-round pick in 2018, but he didn’t sign. Three years later, the Mariners drafted him in the fourth round, signing him out Texas A&M University.
Miller, 25, made his MLB debut last year, and he is 14-12 with a 3.97 ERA in two seasons. He has faced the Marlins just once, going 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA.
Meanwhile, the Marlins had to scratch their scheduled starter for Sunday, Braxton Garrett, due to discomfort in his throwing elbow.
The Marlins already have six starting pitchers on the injured list, including Cy Young Award-winner Sandy Alcantara. The others are Jesus Luzardo, Eury Perez, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers and Sixto Sanchez. Alcantara and Perez are out for the year.
“We have a lot of guys injured, but we’re not the only team that has an injured rotation,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “We are probably going to lean on our bullpen.
“But I also don’t want to crush them (relievers). We have to get some length out of the starters. Three and four innings (per start) is not ideal. We have to figure out how to get at least five innings out of our rotation.”
Miami on Sunday will give right-hander Kyle Tyler (0-0, 4.50 ERA) his first major-league start.
Tyler, a 27-year-old native of Oklahoma City, has never faced Seattle and will be making just his ninth MLB appearance (1-0, 2.45 ERA in 18 1/3 innings).
He was in Seattle’s minor-league system last year, going 7-11 with a 5.60 ERA in 27 appearances, including 26 starts, at Double-A Arkansas.
This year, pitching for Miami’s Triple-A Jacksonville team, Tyler went 4-2 with a 2.80 ERA in 10 appearances, including eight starts.
It’s anybody’s guess what he can give the Marlins on Sunday.
Aside from Tyler, the Marlins have a concern in center field as Jazz Chisholm Jr. was removed from Saturday’s game due to tightness in his right biceps.
Chisholm leads the Marlins in OPS (.770), RBIs (36) and steals (13).
–Field Level Media