Mariners at Angels
The Seattle Mariners look to improve their major league-best road record to 11-1 on Saturday, when they visit the Los Angeles Angels for the third contest of their four-game series. Seattle belted four homers in Friday's 5-3 victory to raise its total to a league-leading 49 blasts.
Tim Beckham hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth inning and Omar Narvaez followed with a shot of his own as the Mariners continued to display their power in the early going this season. "I think it's a collective approach," Jay Bruce, who also went deep, said in a postseason television interview. "We try not to pay too much attention to the score or if we're up or down. Everybody is pulling from that end of the rope." Los Angeles is sliding downward as it has lost five straight games to match its season-high skid. Mike Trout (groin) returned to center field after serving as designated hitter the previous four games and ripped a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth, but the inning ended on a double play due to a blunder by Justin Bour.
TV: 9:07 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Yusei Kikuchi (0-1, 4.23 ERA) vs. Angels RH Trevor Cahill (1-1, 4.50)
Kikuchi failed to record a decision in his first four starts before losing to Cleveland in his last turn. The 27-year-old native of Japan allowed three runs and five hits over six innings against the Indians, marking the third time he has lasted six frames. Kikuchi has served up five homers in 27 2/3 innings but has issued just six walks while compiling a 1.12 WHIP.
Cahill is struggling to keep the ball in the park as he has served up five homers in 22 innings after giving up just eight in 110 frames last season The 31-year-old allowed two blasts in a no-decision against Texas in his last turn, when he gave up four runs and five hits over four frames. Cahill is 5-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 15 career starts against the Angels, including a no-decision on April 2 in which he gave up one run and three hits over six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Bour failed to run after hitting an eighth-inning pop fly and Seattle intentionally let the ball drop and turned it into an easy double play. "There's no excuse for it. It's terrible. That's embarrassing," Bour told reporters afterward.
2. Seattle DH Daniel Vogelbach smacked a two-run homer on Friday and has gone deep seven times in just 48 at-bats.
3. Angels DH Shohei Ohtani (elbow) took batting practice with his teammates on Friday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October and is expected to return sometime next month.