Special types of games have come in various fashions for the Seattle Mariners recently.
The Mariners will look to add to that list when they bring an eight-game winning streak into the middle contest of a three-game road series against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
Seattle relied on stellar mound work for a 1-0 win in the series opener on Tuesday.
“Not a lot of offense, but, wow, what a job the pitching did,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
The Mariners, who are on their longest winning streak of the season, have prevailed in 10 of their past 11 games. However, they have lost their last five series versus Baltimore, though they will have two chances to change that on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.
Clutch performances have defined the past couple of weeks for Seattle. Josh Naylor’s two-out single in the first inning scored the lone run, and George Kirby tossed seven sharp innings before three relievers completed the shutout.
“This is what we play for is to be in these situations,” Wilson said.
Baltimore has dropped six of its past eight games. The offense has sputtered frequently, with the Tuesday loss marking the third time the Orioles were shut out in 10 games this month.
“We just have to go out there, put together some good at-bats, and hopefully we can get that going (Wednesday),” first baseman/designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle said.
In the past four games combined, Baltimore has collected 17 total hits. The Orioles lost three of those games.
The team’s remaining veterans will be under the microscope to produce.
“They’re going to have pressure on them there,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “So is it debilitating pressure? I wouldn’t say so. Has it been a tough few days? Sure.”
Baltimore outfielder Dylan Carlson snapped a 0-for-35 slide with an infield single in his first at-bat on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh went 0-for-4 in the series opener, ending his run of homering in three consecutive games. Raleigh leads the majors with 45 homers and 98 RBIs.
Right-hander Logan Gilbert (3-4, 3.35 ERA) will try to keep the Mariners on a roll when he starts on Wednesday. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA across his past three starts.
In two career starts covering 12 1/3 innings vs. the Orioles, Gilbert is 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers (5-2, 1.44 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for Baltimore. He has given up a total of two runs in his past three starts, covering a total of 21 innings. He struck out 19 and walked three while going 2-1 in that span.
Rogers got a no-decision in his one career start against Seattle, when he gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings for the Miami Marlins on June 21, 2024.
The Orioles should be fully armed in the bullpen after Dean Kremer’s eight-inning start in the series opener.
“My job is to be an innings-eater for this team,” Kremer said. “That’s the guy I want to be known as. I want to be the guy who takes the ball and gives a quality outing every time, regardless of the situation, injuries, no injuries, winning team, losing team.”
The Orioles sent Jordyn Adams back to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, opening a roster spot for fellow outfielder Daniel Johnson, who was with Baltimore briefly in 2024. Johnson returned to the organization off waivers from the San Francisco Giants, for whom he went 5-for-29 (.172) this year.
Johnson entered the Tuesday game as a pinch runner and played center field in the ninth inning.
–Field Level Media
