Mariners at Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox have a simple path to victory this season – a decent starting pitching performance. The Red Sox will try to get a strong effort from ace David Price when they host the Seattle Mariners in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.
Boston dropped back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday as Roenis Elias and Eduardo Rodriguez were roughed up, but Rick Porcello’s solid start in Saturday’s 6-2 win gave the team some hope of finding a reliable starter aside from Price and knuckleballer Steven Wright. The offense is strong enough to cover a lot of mistakes from the staff, and home runs from budding stars Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. highlighted Saturday’s triumph. The Mariners’ loss dropped them to 6-11 in June and 2-3 on the current 10-game road trip, which heads to Detroit for four games beginning on Monday. Left-handed Price making the start for the Red Sox on Sunday will give Seattle a good chance to get Franklin Gutierrez back in the lineup after he blasted a pair of homers off the left-handed Elias on Friday.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Taijuan Walker (3-6, 3.69 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH David Price (7-4, 4.52)
Walker was declared ready to make the start after coming through a side session on Friday with no issues. The 23-year-old left a start at Tampa Bay on Tuesday due to discomfort in the arch of his right foot, which helped explain the four runs – three earned – he allowed over 3 1/3 innings. Walker had snapped a seven-start winless streak with one of the best outings of his career in his previous turn against Cleveland on June 8, when he scattered three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out 11 in eight scoreless innings.
Price allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his last seven starts but is having some trouble keeping the ball in the ballpark. Price suffered the loss in each of his last three outings and yielded five home runs in 23 innings over that span to boost his season total to 12 in 91 2/3 frames. Price surrendered only one home run in 40 career innings against the Mariners while building up a 2-1 record with a 2.48 ERA in five starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Red Sox selected OF Ryan LaMarre and recalled INF Deven Marrero from Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday
2. Seattle DH Nelson Cruz is 2-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the last four games.
3. Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia is 0-for-12 in the last three contests.