Mariners at Red Sox
A dismal season-opening road trip is becoming a distant memory for the Boston Red Sox, who overcame a 2-8 start to move above .500 for the first time and are sitting only four games out of first place in the American League East. Winners of nine of their last 11, resurgent Boston continues its four-game series against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Saturday afternoon.
Mitch Moreland has four homers and 13 RBIs over his last eight games after clubbing a three-run shot -- his team-high 11th -- and run-scoring double in Friday's 14-1 mauling. Rafael Devers was 3-for-5 and matched Moreland with four RBIs, giving him multiple hits in six of his nine games this month to boost his batting average to .314. The Mariners scored 34 runs in taking three of four from the Red Soz as part of a blistering 13-2 start, but they fell below .500 for the first time after absorbing their 10th loss in 12 games. Domingo Santana extended his hitting streak to five games after collecting three hits but Dee Gordon (day-to-day) sat out for Seattle after getting hit by a pitch in the right wrist in Thursday's loss at Yankee Stadium.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Felix Hernández (1-3, 5.20 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (2-3, 5.11)
Hernandez is winless since he was victorious in his season debut and is coming off his worst outing of the year, permitting seven runs and eight hits, including three homers, in five innings at Yankee Stadium. He surrendered a career-worst 27 home runs in 2018 and is having trouble keeping the ball in the park this year, yielding eight blasts over his last five runs. J.D. Martinez is 4-for-8 against Hernandez, who is 0-3 with a 7.43 ERA in his last five starts versus the Red Sox.
Porcello was awful in losing his first three starts, including a debacle at Seattle in his season debut in which he was hammered for nine runs over 2 2/3 innings. He has rebounded to go 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA over his last four turns after working six strong innings and giving up two runs and five hits in a no-decision at the Chicago White Sox. Porcello has a .500 career record (6-6, 4.10 ERA) versus the Mariners but Edwin Encarnacion is 13-for-43 with three homers against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox LF Andrew Benintendi homered Friday for the second time in as many nights and is 13-for-35 in the last eight games.
2. Seattle placed INF Dylan Moore on the 10-day injured list and recalled INFs J.P. Crawford and Shed Long from Triple-A Tacoma.
3. Red Sox LH David Price (elbow) played catch again Friday and "feels a lot better,” manager Alex Cora said.