Mariners at Twins
The Seattle Mariners dropped a road series for the first time in 2018 over the weekend, but it is another loss that threatens the club's ability to stay in the thick of the American League West race for the foreseeable future. The Mariners play their first game of the season without eight-time All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano on Monday when they visit the Minnesota Twins in a make-up game for an April 8 postponement.
Seattle, which entered Sunday's series finale in Detroit with a 5-0-2 record in series play on the road, saw Cano leave in the third inning after he was hit on the hand by a pitch, and the Tigers added insult to injury with a walk-off hit in the ninth to take the three-game set. The 2017 All-Star MVP was later diagnosed with a fractured fifth metacarpal in his right hand and is out indefinitely, although the Mariners will wait until he visits with a specialist Tuesday before announcing how long he will be sidelined. The Twins return to Target Field for the start of a nine-game homestand after concluding a 7-3 road trip with a 2-1 defeat against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. Minnesota had been on quite the offensive roll prior to the loss, scoring at least four runs in 12 consecutive contests.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), FS North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Wade LeBlanc (0-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. Twins RH Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 3.83)
LeBlanc will make his third straight turn in place of the injured Erasmo Ramirez, attempting to build upon strong showing in his each of his first two starts. The Louisiana native gave up only a solo homer among the four hits he allowed over five innings Wednesday at Toronto after tossing four scoreless frames against Oakland on May 3. LeBlanc has faced Minnesota three times in his career - all in relief - and worked a total of 2 1/3 perfect innings.
Odorizzi permitted only one run on two hits over five frames in Tuesday's victory at St. Louis, marking the fourth time in eight turns he has allowed one run or fewer. The 28-year-old is 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA in his last three outings after going 1-2, 4.50 through his first five turns. Nelson Cruz (7-for-20) and Mitch Haniger (2-for-2, grand slam) each have a home run and four RBIs versus Odorizzi, who was tagged for 15 runs (10 earned) in a pair of losses to Seattle last year.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cano, who ranks second in the majors among second baseman with a .385 on-base percentage, has played in at least 150 games in 11 consecutive seasons.
2. Minnesota OF Eddie Rosario went 0-for-4 on Sunday but is still batting .385 with six home runs and 15 RBIs in May.
3. Seattle 1B Ryon Healy is hitting .349 with seven homers and 15 RBIs in 16 contests since missing the same number of games with a sprained right ankle.