vs. Preview and Predictions
Preview and Prediction
As the Seattle Mariners embarked on a nine-game journey to the east, their offense seemed to have been left behind.
Despite a four-game winning streak last week where they scored 26 runs, the Mariners have only managed to put up a combined four runs in their last three games, all of which resulted in losses. In hopes of turning things around, they will face the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of a three-game series on Friday.
According to Mariners manager Scott Servais, this inconsistency has been a recurring theme throughout their season. He stated, \"It's been good, it's been bad. It kind of goes up-down. This club has shown the ability to be resilient and bounce back. ... I believe in the group that we have, but we've got to bounce -- we got to bounce back quickly.\"
In their most recent game against the Detroit Tigers, the Mariners only managed to get one hit, a double in the fifth inning. They scored their only run in the first inning on four walks, but ultimately lost 2-1 after the Tigers scored twice in the eighth inning.
With an 0-for-8 performance with runners in scoring position, the Mariners now sit three games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West and 3 1/2 games behind the final wild card spot. Servais emphasized the need for improvement on offense, stating, \"We have to be better offensively; there's no other way around it. You're just not going to win games in this league -- (with) one run, two runs -- no matter how good your pitching is.\"
The Mariners will look to their starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (7-8, 2.91 ERA) to continue their strong pitching performances. In his last two games, Gilbert has only allowed one run on seven hits in 13 innings. He will face the Pirates for the first time in his career.
On the other side, the Pirates will rely on rookie sensation Paul Skenes (6-2, 2.25 ERA) as they return home after a 10-game losing streak. In his last outing, Skenes allowed four runs, the most in his 15 starts this season. The Pirates have struggled offensively during their losing streak, being outscored 60-33 and only managing to score two or fewer runs in four of their last five games.
Despite their recent struggles, Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller remains confident in their team, stating, \"I think we have a really good team, and we know what we can do. It's just not clicking for us right now.\"
Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton acknowledged that their offense has been trying to do too much, resulting in them chasing pitches and getting out of their hitting zones. He stated, \"We need to flush and move on.\"
--Field Level Media
