Orioles at Mariners
The Seattle Mariners will try to recover from a dismal weekend against one wild card hopeful when they host another in the Baltimore Orioles on Monday for the opener of their three-game series. The Mariners lost four straight to the Los Angeles Angels - a sweep that was capped by Sunday's 4-2 defeat - and fell two games behind them in the race for the second wild-card spot in the American League.
The Orioles sit one-half game behind Seattle after splitting a four-game series in Oakland that concluded with a 9-3 setback on Sunday. Manny Machado stayed hot for Baltimore with three hits and is 7-for-14 with a homer, a triple and two doubles over his last three games. Machado has gone deep just once in 68 career at-bats at Safeco Field and is 1-for-6 against Yovani Gallardo, who gets the start for Seattle in the series opener. The Orioles counter with Kevin Gausman, who has posted a 5.86 ERA on the road.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, MASN (Baltimore), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Kevin Gausman (8-8, 5.21 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Yovani Gallardo (5-7, 5.38)
Gausman was 3-0 with a 0.65 ERA over a dominant four-start stretch but took a step back his last time out against the Angels. The 26-year-old gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings of his first loss since June 21. Gausman is 0-2 with a 3.20 ERA in three career starts against the Mariners, each of which took place at Safeco Field.
Gallardo has failed to complete six innings in five straight starts, allowing three runs over 4 1/3 frames in his most recent outing at Oakland. He has recorded 11 strikeouts and 12 walks over his last five appearances (four starts), serving up six home runs in that span. The veteran Mexican, who made 23 starts for the Orioles last year, has yielded three runs and six hits in 12 2/3 innings over two career starts versus Baltimore.
WALK-OFFS
1. Seattle has won eight of the last nine meetings, including six straight at home.
2. Orioles SS Tim Beckham was 0-for-4 on Sunday after recording a hit in each of his first 12 games since being acquired from Tampa Bay.
3. Mariners DH Nelson Cruz has notched at least one RBI in six straight contests and 14 of his AL-leading 94 over an eight-game stretch.