The Mariners and the Pirates are both looking to build off wins on Sunday and reverse recent trends as they prepare to open a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
Seattle will send right-hander George Kirby (5-7, 4.10 ERA) to the mound against Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller (5-4, 4.92) as it awaits the possible return of starting left fielder Randy Arozarena (left hamstring soreness) from the 10-day injured list.
Before Sunday’s 3-1 win over Boston, the Mariners had lost seven of their previous 10 games. As they open a six-game road trip that will take them to Cleveland after Pittsburgh and we approach the midway point of the season, Seattle welcomes having one of their productive bats back in its lineup.
Arozarena was cleared to travel to Pittsburgh, but was set to be evaluated again on Monday to ensure he could return to the Mariners’ lineup.
A swift return for Arozarena is a welcome development for Seattle, which has dealt with numerous injuries to key starters over the first half of the season and hampered its efforts to take a large lead at the top of the American League West division.
The Mariners recently reactivated catcher Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford, but Josh Naylor (wrist) and Luke Raley (back) have each missed time.
“I’ve really never seen anything quite like this on the position-player side,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander told the Seattle Times. “I’ve been part of something like this in the 2018-19 window and even 2017 with our pitchers, but this is unique with this many position players. Every day feels like a little bit of a juggling act.”
Kirby is looking to turn the corner himself as he’s lost five of his past six starts and the Mariners have a 1-5 record over that span. Kirby, who is 2-1 with a 4.76 ERA in three career starts against the Pirates, has put together consecutive quality starts. He held the Orioles to three runs on eight hits over six innings while striking out five and not issuing a walk in his most recent outing.
Keller is one win away from matching his total of six wins last season. But his ERA is worse than the 4.19 he finished last season with and he is on pace to finish with more walks and fewer strikeouts.
Keller, who had an 8.70 ERA in his previous six starts, had some more positive results in his most recent start last Tuesday against the Athletics. Keller allowed five runs, but only one earned, on four hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings. He also posted a season-high seven strikeouts. Keller is 1-1 with a 6.55 ERA in two career starts against the Mariners.
“Just simplifying, trying to make the game simple again,” Keller said just before that improved start. “I’ve been trying to do too much sometimes. Just get back to a simpler attack. … A lot of the work has been getting back to my identity, filling up the zone and finding ways to put guys away. I feel like I got a lot better this week. I’m confident with where I’m at.”
The Pirates’ bullpen continues to struggle, and it’s part of the reason they lost 11 of their previous 16 games before beating Colorado 8-6 on Sunday. Pirates relievers allowed five runs combined over the final two innings of that game, and their 4.46 bullpen ERA ranks 20th in the majors entering Monday.
–Field Level Media
