The Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners look to regain their footing when they meet in the opener of a three-game series in Phoenix on Monday.
Each team is on a run it would like to forget.
Arizona has lost 12 of 17, while Seattle has dropped 11 of 17.
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (6-2, 3.43 ERA), who is 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in his last 11 starts, is set to oppose Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock (2-2, 5.19).
The D-backs are home after a 3-3 road trip marked by high highs and low lows. They swept Atlanta, scoring seven runs in ninth inning to win the series finale 11-10, but they scored only six runs in a three-game weekend sweep at Cincinnati.
In between, Arizona learned that ace right-hander Corbin Burnes will miss the rest of the season following Tommy John surgery.
“We have to find a way to pick ourselves up, get back home and start playing winning baseball and having those winning moments,” manager Torey Lovullo said.
“You walk into (Great American Ball Park) and score six runs in three games … it’s not what I was expecting. We can be better.”
Seattle was swept at home by Baltimore, then lost two of three against the host Los Angeles Angels over the weekend. During their recent stretch, the Mariners have gone from 3 1/2 games up in the AL West to 2 1/2 games behind Houston.
The Mariners stopped a season-high five-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory Sunday, thanks in large part to George Kirby’s career-high 14 strikeouts.
“We needed a big one today,” Kirby said. “Hopefully this sets the tone for us as we go to Phoenix. Hope we keep rolling. It’s always good when you go out there and give your team the best chance to win after a couple of losses.”
The series features two of the majors’ hottest hitters – Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte.
Raleigh leads the majors with 26 homers and is well ahead of the pace to break Salvador Perez’s record of 48 homers by a catcher set in 2021. Only Barry Bonds (twice), Mark McGwire, Albert Pujols and former Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. reached 25 homers in fewer games (64) than Raleigh.
Marte has reached base in 21 straight games and is hitting .343 with seven of his 12 homers along with 13 RBIs, 16 runs and 13 walks in his last 18 games.
Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno missed the last two games in Cincinnati. He was removed in the sixth inning Friday when he was struck in the right hand by a wild pitch that bounced in the dirt.
The Mariners appeared to dodge a potentially serious injury to star center fielder Julio Rodriguez, who was removed from Saturday’s game after being struck on the right ankle by a Randy Arozarena liner while attempting to steal third. Rodriguez started Sunday.
“It reacted very well with the treatment,” Rodriguez said.
Kelly gave up only one hit, a single by Ronald Acuna Jr., in seven scoreless innings in his last start, a 2-1 victory at Atlanta. He has faced the Mariners once in his seven-year career, giving up three runs over five innings in a 4-0 home loss in 2023.
Hancock has pitched well in his last four starts, going 1-0 with a 2.91 ERA, but he could be pitching for a spot in the rotation as Logan Gilbert nears a return. He has faced the Diamondbacks once, a 3-2 home victory last season when he gave up two hits and one run in six innings.
–Field Level Media
