The Seattle Mariners will take a season-long five-game losing streak into their series finale with the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.
But, all things considered, the situation could be a whole lot worse for manager Dan Wilson’s club.
Two-time All-Star center fielder Julio Rodriguez told reporters that “there’s a high chance” he could be back in the lineup despite having to be helped off the field in Saturday night’s 8-6 loss to the Angels.
Rodriguez was hit by batter Randy Arozarena’s 98.1 mph one-hopper off the bone above his right ankle while attempting to steal third base.
Rodriguez, who was 2-for-2 at the time of the injury and was ruled out on the play, was on the ground wincing in a pain for several minutes before limping off the field with the help of a pair of trainers. He underwent X-rays, which came back negative.
“It was just a contusion,” Wilson said. “Kind of a day-to-day thing. We’ll see how it goes. It could have been a lot worse, I think.”
It was the second time in less than a week that Seattle dodged a major injury.
Right-hander George Kirby (0-3, 8.56 ERA), who will start Sunday’s series finale for Seattle, also escaped a serious injury in his last start on Tuesday. A 102.7 mph comebacker by Baltimore’s Ramon Urias deflected off the thumb of Kirby’s pitching hand and into the right side of his face.
“I didn’t even see it coming, just put my hand up,” Kirby said. “I’m just glad it kind of missed any of the bad spots on my face.”
Kirby suffered a noticeable bruise and cut on the right side of his mouth but was able to walk off the field under his own power.
“It didn’t even hurt, honestly,” Kirby said. “It got my hand — like 50/50, hand/mouth, but we’re good. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
Kirby, who missed the first eight weeks of the season with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, will make just his fourth start of the season. He is 4-4 with a 3.66 ERA in eight career starts against the Angels.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-2, 3.86) will start for Los Angeles, which has won 10 of its last 13 games against Seattle and will go for the series sweep. Anderson is 1-2 with a 4.93 ERA in nine career starts against the Mariners.
The Angels rallied from a 4-0 deficit to pull out the victory on Saturday night, scoring at least one run in six consecutive innings. Jo Adell led the way with two long home runs and three RBIs, the seventh multi-homer game of his career, and Chris Taylor homered, doubled and drove in two runs.
Adell has five home runs in his last seven games.
“I’m really in a good rhythm right now, and more than anything hitting good pitches early in the count that I can handle,” Adell said. “Taking a hack and good things have happened, so hoping to keep it going.”
–Field Level Media
