:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59990077/966941150.jpg.0.jpg)
The Tampa Bay Rays road trip started off well with three wins in Oakland. Then things went downhill as they dropped their last six games of the trip including three games to the Seattle Mariners. And those same Mariners will be their opponents this weekend.
The Mariners split a two game series with the Houston Astros and have won five of their last six.
Matchups:
Thursday 7:10 PM: Mike Leake vs Ryne Stanek
Friday 7:10 PM: Marco Gonzales vs Wilmer Font
Saturday 4:10 PM: Felix Hernandez vs Blake Snell
Sunday 1:10 PM: James Paxton vs Nathan Eovaldi
Rays face the same three pitchers as they did last weekend in Seattle and add their best pitcher, James Paxton
Mariners Starters Last 3 Years
| Pitcher | GS | IP | K% | BB% | HR/9 | ERA | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | GS | IP | K% | BB% | HR/9 | ERA | FIP |
| Mike Leake | 92 | 555.2 | 16.3% | 4.7% | 0.97 | 4.13 | 3.90 |
| Marco Gonzales | 21 | 109.1 | 19.3% | 6.1% | 1.15 | 4.61 | 4.02 |
| Felix Hernandez | 73 | 433.2 | 20.0% | 8.3% | 1.29 | 4.30 | 4.56 |
| James Paxton | 60 | 348.0 | 26.8% | 6.5% | 0.70 | 3.31 | 2.78 |
Mike Leake allowed just two solo homers in his last start against the Rays. In his 12 starts he has allowed five plus runs three times while allowing two or less in six. This year right handers have gotten the best of Leake with a .359 wOBA despite typically allowing less damage to right handed bats.
Marco Gonzales is having a solid start to his first full season back after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2016. In 12 starts he’s thrown 66.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA and 3.22 FIP. The ridiculed Tyler O’Neill swap for Gonzales last summer is looking pretty solid from the Mariner’s end. He held the Rays to one run in 6.2 innings his last time out.
Felix Hernandez vs Blake Snell matched up last week. Snell had the more impressive night on the mound, but King Felix got the job done, with eight innings of one run baseball. Hernandez’s five previous outings saw him allow four plus runs.
The Rays avoided seeing the flame-throwing lefty James Paxton last weekend in Seattle but they won’t be so lucky this time. He threw a no-hitter in Toronto earlier this year and has a 2.95 ER and 2.87 FIP through 88.2 innings. His strikeout rate is up to 30.9%.
Edwin Diaz has been an effective closer. And then there’s this guy named Colomé
Mariners Relievers Last 3 Years
| Pitcher | G | IP | K% | BB% | HR/9 | ERA | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | G | IP | K% | BB% | HR/9 | ERA | FIP |
| Juan Nicasio | 181 | 190.2 | 27.1% | 7.8% | 0.66 | 3.92 | 2.91 |
| Alex Colome | 179 | 189.2 | 25.6% | 6.8% | 0.52 | 2.75 | 2.77 |
| Edwin Diaz | 147 | 149.1 | 37.1% | 9.6% | 1.02 | 3.01 | 2.92 |
| James Pazos | 101 | 83.2 | 25.4% | 8.0% | 1.08 | 3.33 | 3.86 |
| Dan Altavilla | 78 | 79.2 | 25.3% | 10.7% | 1.24 | 3.28 | 4.31 |
| Chasen Bradford | 49 | 58.1 | 19.5% | 7.9% | 0.77 | 2.93 | 3.72 |
| Ryan Cook | 12 | 10.1 | 20.4% | 13.0% | 3.48 | 13.06 | 8.35 |
| Roenis Elias | 6 | 7.1 | 11.8% | 11.8% | 0.00 | 4.91 | 3.68 |
A couple weeks ago the Mariners acquired the Rays closer Alex Colomé to setup their stud closer Edwin Diaz.
Edwin Diaz has had a shaky last week to ten days, but has otherwise been an elite reliever with a 2.84 ERA and 2.07 FIP. He’s striking out a career best 42.6% of batters faced.
In four appearances with the Mariners Alex Colomé has yet to allow a run and has picked up four strikeouts without allowing a walk.
Five relievers threw out of the bullpen yesterday, but the Mariners hadn’t had to use more than two relievers in a night in the prior four days, so overall the bullpen is pretty well rested.
The Mariners have navigated injuries and still have a solid offense
Mariners Batters Last 3 Years
| Batter | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVE | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batter | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVE | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ |
| Kyle Seager | 2047 | 85 | 10 | 8.8% | 16.3% | 0.258 | 0.331 | 0.462 | 0.337 | 115 |
| Jean Segura | 1935 | 39 | 87 | 4.7% | 15.0% | 0.300 | 0.339 | 0.433 | 0.333 | 106 |
| Nelson Cruz | 1932 | 119 | 6 | 9.5% | 22.9% | 0.284 | 0.363 | 0.542 | 0.380 | 145 |
| Dee Gordon | 1676 | 8 | 147 | 3.7% | 14.1% | 0.298 | 0.329 | 0.375 | 0.307 | 91 |
| Denard Span | 1488 | 28 | 38 | 9.1% | 12.4% | 0.269 | 0.340 | 0.399 | 0.323 | 102 |
| Ryon Healy | 1064 | 47 | 0 | 4.0% | 23.0% | 0.275 | 0.308 | 0.470 | 0.330 | 108 |
| Mike Zunino | 993 | 50 | 1 | 7.9% | 35.3% | 0.219 | 0.296 | 0.435 | 0.314 | 99 |
| Mitch Haniger | 787 | 33 | 8 | 9.0% | 22.5% | 0.269 | 0.346 | 0.480 | 0.351 | 123 |
| Andrew Romine | 757 | 8 | 21 | 6.1% | 21.1% | 0.227 | 0.286 | 0.315 | 0.266 | 61 |
| Ben Gamel | 728 | 13 | 8 | 7.1% | 22.3% | 0.269 | 0.323 | 0.399 | 0.312 | 97 |
| Guillermo Heredia | 671 | 9 | 3 | 8.6% | 14.9% | 0.252 | 0.334 | 0.342 | 0.301 | 90 |
| David Freitas | 75 | 0 | 0 | 9.3% | 21.3% | 0.212 | 0.288 | 0.303 | 0.265 | 65 |
The Mariners have weathered injuries to Nelson Cruz, Mitch Haniger, Dee Gordon, and Robinson Cano before he was suspended under the MLB PED policy. They have hit .257/.321/.416 and have put up a 105 wRC+.
Jean Segura (134 wRC+), Mitch Haniger (130 wRC+), and Nelson Cruz (127 wRC+) have led the way offensively.
Kyle Seager (93 wRC+), Mike Zunino (93 wRC+), and Dee Gordon (89 wRC+) have contributed in full time roles.
The Rays pitching staff was able to keep the bats quiet for most of the series allowing only ten runs in three games.
The Rays offense needs to get that key hit.
The Rays offense has had trouble getting runners across the plate over the past week or so. They have had opportunities, but haven’t gotten the clutch hit with runners in scoring position. The pitching has kept them in the game on most nights.
The Rays return from what turned into a disappointing road trip. They start a seven game and have to hope that some home cooking and subtropical breezes will help them get back on track.