Mariners homestand preview: Division rivals in town during longest home stretch of season
The Seattle Mariners (23-32) are still sliding entering their longest homestand of the season Monday night.
Both Texas and Oakland swept the Mariners during a six-game road series last week. Now, Seattle begins a stretch of 11 consecutive home games — without an off day — against the Rangers, Angels and the American League West leading Astros.
All of the games will be broadcast on television on Root Sports Northwest and radio on 710 ESPN.
MARINERS HOMESTAND PREVIEW
Monday, May 27 — Opponent: Texas, 6:10 p.m. Pitching probables: Lance Lynn (6-3, 4.67 ERA) vs. Tommy Milone (0-1, 3.60).
Tuesday, May 28 — Texas, 7:10 p.m. Adrian Sampson (2-3, 4.44) vs. Marco Gonzales (5-4, 3.41).
Wednesday, May 29 — Texas, 12:40 p.m. Drew Smyly (1-3, 6.15) vs. Wade LeBlanc (2-2, 7.33).
Thursday, May 30 — Los Angeles Angels, 7:10 p.m. Tyler Skaggs (4-4, 4.40) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (3-2, 3.82).
Friday, May 31 — Los Angeles Angels, 7:10 p.m. Andrew Heaney (9-10, 4.15) vs. Mike Leake (3-6, 4.93).
Saturday, June 1 — Los Angeles Angels, 4:15 p.m. Felix Pena (2-1, 3.30) vs. Milone.
Sunday, June 2 — Los Angeles Angels, 1:10 p.m. Trevor Cahill (2-4, 6.43) vs. Gonzales.
Monday, June 3 — Houston, 7:10 p.m. Corbin Martin (1-1, 4.97) vs. LeBlanc.
Tuesday, June 4 — Houston, 7:10 p.m. Wade Miley (5-3, 3.32) vs. Kikuchi.
Wednesday, June 5 — Houston, 7:10 p.m. Brad Peacock (5-2, 3.19) vs. Leake.
Thursday, June 6 — Houston, 12:40 p.m. Justin Verlander (8-2, 2.38) vs. Milone.
About the Rangers (25-25): Texas is nearly back on the good side of .500, thanks in part to sweeping the Mariners in a three-game set in Arlington last week. The Rangers have a 5-2 advantage over Seattle in the season series, and have hung double-digit runs on the Mariners in three of their meetings this season. Texas has won eight of their past 10 games entering this road trip. ... Lynn has a pair of wins over the Mariners this season, though they’ll at least miss Mike Minor (5-3, 2.55) this time around. Skyline High School product Sampson picked up a win over Seattle in the finale in Arlington last week. ... Joey Gallo continues to hit — which is third in the AL as a team in slugging (.464) and fourth in on-base percentage — as a backbone of this Texas offense. He leads the AL in slugging (.660) and OPS (1.079) and is tied for second with 15 dingers.
About the Angels (24-28): No, the Mariners are not the only team in the AL West with a losing record. The Angels are also in the cellar as the second month of the season comes to a close. And, Seattle does have an encouraging 5-1 record over its division rival so far this season. ... Shortstop Andrelton Simmons (ankle) was placed on the 10-day IL last week with a Grade 3 sprain, left fielder Justin Upton is still recovering from a toe injury, and starter Matt Harvey is out with a back strain. But, Heaney was reactivated Sunday, and is slated to pitch against Seattle later in the week. ... Center fielder Mike Trout, as always, continues to post impressive numbers, leading the AL in walks drawn (45) and on-base percentage (.451). He’s also fourth in OPS (1.013), and one of four players in the AL with an OPS of 1.000-plus.
About the Astros (35-19): Much of what has gone right for Houston this season has gone wrong for the Mariners. Houston’s .278 team batting average leads the AL, while Seattle’s .244 average is in the lower half, and has dipped below the MLB average of .246. The Astros have the second-lowest team ERA in the AL (3.40), while the Mariners have the third-highest (.515). And, Seattle’s MLB-leading 58 errors more than double the 21 the Astros have committed. Seattle has yet to win a game over the AL West leaders, who also hold the fourth-best record in baseball. ... Houston also leads the AL in hits (495) and on-base percentage (.351) and is second in slugging (.493). Seattle does have the edge in homers, 96-91, but Minnesota has taken over the top spot in the AL with 102. ... George Springer leads the AL with 17 homers and 43 RBIs, but will likely miss this series against the Mariners after being placed on the 10-day IL with a hamstring injury on Friday. ... Verlander’s 2.24 ERA is the second-best in the AL, and his 89 strikeouts are second only to teammate Gerrit Cole (100), who the Mariners fortunately miss this time around.
This story was originally published May 27, 2019 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Mariners homestand preview: Division rivals in town during longest home stretch of season."
