Mariners at Twins
The Minnesota Twins put together a three-game winning streak on the basis of solid pitching but watched that all fall apart in a 13-8 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. The Twins will try to get that pitching to turn back around when they kick off an 11-game homestand by hosting the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a four-game series on Monday.
Minnesota dropped two of three at Seattle last week, losing the first two by a combined 18-8 before earning a 2-1 victory on Thursday to kick off a three-game stretch in which the staff allowed a total of three runs. The Twins watched a 5-3 lead evaporate with 10 runs allowed between the fifth and eighth innings on Sunday while dropping to 20-9 on the road. Minnesota, which is just 12-18 at home on the season, will throw Adalberto Mejia on Monday while the Mariners counter with struggling veteran Yovani Gallardo. Seattle is having a hard time getting the bats going with a total of seven runs over the last four games and dropped two of three to the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend to fall two games below .500.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), FSN North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Yovani Gallardo (2-6, 6.26 ERA) vs. Twins LH Adalberto Mejia (1-1, 4.18)
Gallardo is enduring the worst season of his career and is 0-3 with a 10.42 ERA in his last four starts. The Mexico native faced the Twins at home on Wednesday and went a season-high seven innings but was ripped for five runs on six hits and two walks without factoring in the decision. Gallardo issued at least two walks in each of his last eight turns and is yielding a .291 batting average-against.
Mejia went up against Gallardo on Wednesday and did not factor in the decision while allowing three runs on two hits and three walks in five innings. The 23-year-old Dominican rookie owns 17 walks in 32 1/3 total innings and made it past the fifth just twice in his seven outings this season. Mejia has yet to surrender more than three runs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mariners OF Mitch Haniger (oblique) was activated from the disabled list on Sunday and went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.
2. Minnesota SS Eduardo Escobar recorded multiple hits in three of his last four games.
3. Seattle RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) threw in the bullpen on Sunday and will make a rehab start on Wednesday.