Orioles at Mariners
The Seattle Mariners halted an untimely slide and attempt to close a seven-game homestand on a good note when they entertain the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon. Seattle dropped the first five contests before ending their Safeco Field woes with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday.
The Mariners sit 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Angels for the American League's second wild card while the Orioles are two games back. Nelson Cruz reached base three times and drove in a run for Seattle on Tuesday to push his AL RBI lead to 96. Jonathan Schoop plated Baltimore's lone run with a homer as the club dropped to 4-5 on its 10-game West Coast trip. The hot-hitting Tim Beckham is 4-for-9 in the series and is a scorching 30-for-62 with four homers since being acquired from Tampa Bay.
TV: 3:40 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Baltimore), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Ubaldo Jimenez (5-7, 6.25 ERA) vs. Mariners LH Marco Gonzales (0-0, 8.49)
Jimenez struck out a season-best 11 in 5 1/3 innings against Oakland in his last turn but settled for a no-decision after allowing three runs and six hits. The 33-year-old has won just one of his last six starts despite allowing two runs or fewer on three occasions. Jimenez is 2-3 with a 5.85 ERA in seven career starts versus the Mariners while being torched by Robinson Cano (9-for-17, two homers, four doubles) and shutting down Cruz (2-for-17, nine strikeouts).
Gonzales lasted just 4 1/3 innings against the Angels in his last outing despite giving up one run and four hits. The 25-year-old did not factor in the decision in either of his starts for the Mariners, including his debut against Kansas City in which he gave up five runs and seven hits in four frames on August 6. Gonzalez has issued just two walks in 8 1/3 innings with Seattle after having walked 22 in 40 2/3 frames in parts of three seasons with St. Louis.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mariners 3B Kyle Seager (stomach) sat out Tuesday and is uncertain for the series finale.
2. Baltimore LF Trey Mancini is 1-for-11 with a homer and five strikeouts over the last three contests.
3. Seattle 1B Danny Valencia is 0-for-6 in the series and hitless in nine at-bats over his last three games.