The Seattle Mariners try to make it two straight against the visiting Cleveland Indians when the teams meet in the third of a four-game series on Saturday night. The first pitch is set for 9:10 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
The Indians had their four-game winning streak snapped with a 7-3 loss on Friday night. Cleveland (21-15) comes into action in second place in the AL Central, 1½ games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox, and five ahead of the third-place Kansas City Royals.
Seattle snapped a five-game losing streak with Friday’s win, improving to 19-20. The Mariners are in third place in the AL West, three games behind the second-place Houston Astros, and 1½ games ahead of the fourth-place Texas Rangers.
Looking at the MLB odds for this one, the Indians have a moneyline of -108, while the Mariners are at -102. The over/under for this contest has been set at 8½ runs.
Repeat Performance?
Right-hander Triston McKenzie will get the start hoping for a repeat of his last start. The 23-year-old is coming off a five-inning start against Kansas City in which he allowed no runs on two hits, striking out five and walking four to even his record at 1-1.
That start came after a two-inning effort against the Chicago White Sox in which McKenzie allowed five runs on one hit — a grand slam — and four walks. This will be McKenzie’s sixth start and seventh appearance, and he has 34 strikeouts and 22 walks in 23⅔ innings.
Third baseman Jose Ramirez is looking to bounce back from an 0-for-4 night on Friday. Ramirez leads the Indians with 11 home runs, including one in the series opener, while also hitting four doubles and one triple and driving in 22 runs.
Outfielder Franmil Reyes leads Cleveland with 24 RBI, hitting six doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. He also homered in the series opener.
Early Impact
Highly touted prospect Jarred Kelenic got his first major league hit in his second game with the Mariners on Friday night, hitting a two-run home run, then following it with a pair of doubles. The 21-year-old outfielder finished with three RBI and two runs scored.
“A lot to get excited about. Big night for him tonight and his family and our team quite frankly,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said after Kelenic’s performance. “It’s loud in here, guys are excited, they know what he can bring, and he’s going to continue to have fun, that’s for sure.”
The No. 6 pick of the 2018 MLB draft has the Mariners excited about his potential Outfielder Mitch Haniger hit his team-high 11th home run of the season Friday, upping his RBI total to 29, which is tied for seventh in baseball.
Left-hander Justus Sheffield will make the start, his seventh of the season. Sheffield is 2-3 with a 4.91 ERA, with 29 strikeouts and 11 walks over 33 innings.
Sheffield had a rough outing in his last start, going five innings against Texas and allowing five earned runs on 10 hits, including two home runs. It was the fourth time in six starts he’s allowed at least one home run this season.
Mariners Continue to Win
The arrival of a phenom is certainly something that brings excitement to a team — as the Mariners franchise certainly knows from past experience. Kelenic may not end up being Ken Griffey Jr. or Alex Rodriguez, but just having him in the lineup can give teammates a lot of confidence.
That confidence is going to carry into Saturday’s game, as the Mariners make it two straight over the Indians. When doing your MLB betting, take Seattle to get the win at home.
