The Seattle Mariners will look to bounce back from their second shutout loss of the season when they bid to secure a road series victory from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
The teams split the first two games, with both hinging on eighth-inning matchups between White Sox reliever Cam Booser and Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez with the bases loaded.
Rodriguez hit a grand slam on Monday to key Seattle’s 5-1 victory. He struck out in the pivotal at-bat on Tuesday, however, helping the White Sox secure a 1-0 win.
Chicago stopped a five-game losing streak while ending Seattle’s winning streak at four.
On the bright side, Mariners pitching continues to thrive, allowing one run in five consecutive games. Seattle yielded just one run in six successive games during the 2001 and 2010 seasons.
Heroics from the left side of the infield continue to help keep an inconsistent White Sox offense afloat.
Rookie shortstop Chase Meidroth, who has taken over the leadoff spot, extended his hitting streak to eight games Tuesday with a single to open the game. And third baseman Miguel Vargas has nine hits over the past six games as he continues to ride momentum from a big weekend effort against the Chicago Cubs.
Vargas was named American League Player of the Week on Monday after batting .417 with four home runs, nine RBIs and five runs. He hit three homers at Wrigley Field.
“A mechanical adjustment led to him just being able to go out there and be himself and be confident and just play the game and not have to think about, ‘Is my swing good enough?'” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “It is. He’s obviously impacting the ball and controlling the zone and playing good defense. He’s just out there confident and playing baseball.”
Vargas batted cleanup for Chicago on Tuesday, one slot ahead of Luis Robert Jr., the slumping center fielder who hopes to channel some of Vargas’ momentum.
Robert Jr. went 0-for-3 as his season average dipped to .182. After starting May with two multi-hit games in four contests, Robert Jr. is just 7-for-46 over his last 12 games.
“I just focus on trying to get better,” he said through an interpreter. “I can’t think of anything else.”
Chicago’s Shane Smith (1-3, 2.05 ERA) will oppose Logan Evans (2-1, 2.57) in a matchup of rookie right-handers. Neither starter has faced this opposition in his career.
Smith has pitched to a 1.69 ERA in three May starts. Just one of the six runs he allowed in Friday’s 13-3 loss to the Cubs was earned.
Evans is coming off the best of his four career starts. He scattered seven hits, one walk, and three strikeouts over six shutout innings on Friday to defeat the host San Diego Padres 5-1.
“I don’t know exactly what my role is going to be all year, but for right now, it’s just to give the team a chance to win,” Evans said. “I feel like I’m doing that.”
–Field Level Media
