Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby will make his second start of the season against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.

The first one went very well for Kirby, who struck out a career-high 14 batters and didn’t walk one in seven innings of a 3-2 victory on June 8. He allowed a two-run homer by Taylor Ward and one other hit overall before exiting after just 96 pitches.

“That’s the guy he can be,” catcher Mitch Garver said of Kirby (4-5, 4.65 ERA). “It’s probably one of the most important starts we’ve had.”

Another big one comes Saturday night as the Mariners look to bounce back from a 3-2 loss in 10 innings to the Angels. Seattle is clinging to the second wild-card slot in the American League.

Shortstop Zach Neto celebrated his first-ever bobblehead night with the first walk-off hit of his career, a two-out single that drove in LaMonte Wade Jr. from second base.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Los Angeles, which closed to within 4 1/2 games of the final wild-card spot.

“It means everything, seeing everybody with my bobblehead. It’s very special,” Neto said after getting doused with Gatorade. “We needed this win. Flush it at midnight and come back in tomorrow and try to do the same thing.”

“That was tremendous,” interim Angels manager Ray Montgomery said. “Bobblehead nights (are) good omens. I’m sure he was excited about it. That was good. It was fun. I’m glad he got the opportunity to do it.”

The question is will it stop the Angels from being sellers at the trade deadline? Several media outlets reported that Los Angeles was shopping closer Kenley Jansen, third baseman Yoan Moncada, utility infielder Luis Rengifo, starting left-hander Tyler Anderson and Ward.

Anderson (2-6, 4.43 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday night for the Angels.

He is 1-3 with a 5.01 ERA in 10 career starts against the Mariners. He picked up the loss in Kirby’s gem on June 8 allowing three runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Kirby is 5-4 with a 3.52 ERA in nine career starts against Los Angeles, including 4-2 with a 3.38 ERA in six starts in Anaheim.

Seattle’s runs on Friday came on solo homers by center fielder Julio Rodriguez. It was the fifth multi-home run game of Rodriguez’s career as he became the third player in Mariners’ history to have five or more multi-homer games by the age of 24. The other two were Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. (14) and Alex Rodriguez (14).

“Incredibly talented player,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said of Julio Rodriguez. “He continues to let that talent shine. Just really seeing the ball well right now. Couple of homers off a tough opponent tonight in (Jose) Soriano. Just thought he was on each pitch and seeing the ball well, and when he got his pitch he was able to drive it.”

First baseman Josh Naylor, obtained in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, flew across the country from Pittsburgh on Friday and had a single in four at-bats in his Mariners’ debut.

–Field Level Media

David Peterson will get an opportunity to personally thank Robbie Ray for his All-Star invitation when they go head-to-head on the mound as the New York Mets and host San Francisco Giants continue their three-game series on Saturday evening.

Francisco Lindor hit his 20th home run of the season, and the first four batters in the Mets’ order combined for seven hits, six RBIs and four runs, lifting New York to a trip-opening 8-1 romp over the Giants on Friday night.

Peterson (6-4, 2.90 ERA) appeared destined to watch last week’s All-Star Game on television before the Giants elected to start Ray on the Sunday before the showcase, disqualifying him from pitching in Atlanta.

Shortly after Ray was formally listed as the projected starter, Peterson got the call that he’d be the veteran’s replacement.

Coincidentally, Peterson followed the Giants’ Logan Webb to the mound in the All-Star Game. Each threw a scoreless inning — Webb the third, Peterson the fourth — in the 6-6 contest that ended with their National League team winning a home run contest.

Peterson continued the form that earned him the All-Star nod in his first start after the break, limiting the Cincinnati Reds to one unearned run over six innings in his team’s 3-2 win last Sunday.

It was another indication he’s fully healthy after he underwent surgery on a torn labrum in his left hip after the 2023 campaign, with the rehab delaying his 2024 debut until May 29 and limiting his innings last season to 121.

He’s already reached 115 innings this season — not counting the one inning he threw in the All-Star Game.

“For me after the surgery, it was just getting back to being healthy, getting used to the new range of motion and all that came with the surgery,” the left-hander told reporters before the break. “It was nice to have a full, regular off-season (leading into the 2025 season) to work on my strength and get that back. It’s been good. It’s kind of what I’ve always thought was in there.”

Peterson has made three career starts against the Giants, going 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA.

While each team also had an All-Star on the mound to start Friday’s game, the Mets’ Clay Holmes and Giants’ Webb made it through just five and four innings, respectively.

Taxing a bullpen in a series opener is never good, but it puts pressure on Ray to go deep into Saturday’s game because the Giants have lost two starters in the last week.

With ineffective Hayden Birdsong having gotten demoted to the minors and Landen Roupp forced onto the 15-day injured list with a sore elbow, the Giants already have designated Sunday as a bullpen day.

“Look, it feels like every team goes through it, and sometimes when it rains, it pours a little bit,” Giants manager Bob Melvin bemoaned to reporters before Friday’s game. “We do have some guys we like in Triple-A as far as the depth goes, so we’ll see where that goes — and we’ll see what the deadline brings.”

Ray (9-4, 2.92 ERA) came out of the All-Star break with one of his worst outings of the season, tagged for five runs in 4 1/3 innings by the host Toronto Blue Jays in an 8-6 loss last Sunday. But the left-hander has had success against the Mets, going 4-1 with a 3.48 ERA against them in seven lifetime starts.

– Field Level Media