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Rays Try to Bounce Back from Disappointing Loss

Mariners Go For Two Straight Wins

The Tampa Bay Rays try to avoid a four-game losing streak when they take on the Seattle Mariners in the second of a four-game series on Friday night. The contest is scheduled for a 10:10 p.m. ET first pitch at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

The Rays dropped the opener Thursday night, blowing a 5-2 lead and falling in the bottom of the ninth. Tampa Bay fell to 43-27 and is hanging on to first place in the AL East, with a half-game lead on the second-place Boston Red Sox and a six-game advantage on the third-place New York Yankees.

Michael Wacha of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch to the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning
Julio Aguilar/Getty Images/AFP

Seattle has won four of its last five to improve to 35-36. The Mariners are in third place in the AL West, sitting 6½ games behind the second-place Houston Astros and percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Angels.

The MLB odds have the Rays with a moneyline of -108, while the Mariners are listed at -102. The over/under has been set at 7½ runs.

Needing To Bounce Back

The Rays need to get back on track in a hurry, or the Red Sox will catch them. Thursday’s game was in Tampa Bay’s hands, as it led 5-2 after the top of the sixth and 5-4 heading to the bottom of the ninth.

Outfielder Randy Arozarena had a big game, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. He has a 12-game hit streak, with three home runs among eight hits over his last five games. Arozarena has 10 home runs with 37 RBI and a .271 batting average and leads the team with 46 runs scored.

Designated hitter Austin Meadows leads Tampa Bay with 15 home runs and 50 RBI, tying for the team lead with 18 doubles and scoring 42 runs. He is batting just .234, though, going 4-for-17 over his last four games.

Right-hander Michael Wacha will start Friday’s contest, though he likely won’t last long. His two June appearances have been starts but haven’t gone as far as three innings in either case.

Wacha is 1-1 with a 4.54 ERA in seven starts and 11 appearances. He has 30 strikeouts and 11 walks in 39⅔ innings.

Confidence Builder

The Mariners are feeling pretty good after Thursday’s come-from-behind win, which was clinched on Kyle Seager’s pinch-hit single. Seager was supposed to have the day off but was put in by manager Scott Servais when the Mariners had a chance to win.

“When it gets to that point in the game, and you’ve only got one bullet to shoot, you might as well shoot it,” Servais said after Thursday’s win.

Seager should be back to full-time action, bringing his 13 home runs and team-leading 41 RBI with him. His game-winning hit pushed Seager past Mitch Haniger for the team RBI lead.

Haniger does have a team-best 16 home runs along with his 40 RBI. He’s batting .259 after going 1-for-4 with a run scored on Thursday night.

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi will get the start for Seattle. He’s 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA, striking out 75 and walking 23 in 73⅔ innings.

Kikuchi is coming off a dominant performance against Cleveland on Saturday, though it resulted in a no-decision for the 30-year-old. Kikuchi went seven innings against the Indians, shutting them out on three hits while striking out six and walking three. Cleveland won the game in extra innings, 5-4.

Rays Even Series

Although Seattle is playing with confidence and Kikuchi is coming off a solid performance in his last outing, Tampa Bay is due for a big offensive night. Knowing the Red Sox are right on their tails is going to motivate the Rays to put some runs on the board behind the bats of Arozarena and Meadows.

When making your MLB picks, take Tampa Bay to pick up the road win.

Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -108

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