Mariners at Blue Jays
A visit to the worst team in the majors helped get the offense untracked for the skidding Seattle Mariners, who will continue their 10-game road trip when they open a three-game series at the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. The Mariners and Blue Jays are both 22 games under .500 but each team is coming off a three-game series win.
Kyle Seager has been among the few bright spots of late for Seattle, extending his hitting streak to nine games after going 6-for-12 with three homers and nine RBIs in Detroit. Mallex Smith was 6-for-13 in the series versus the Tigers and swiped three bases to boost his major league-leading total to 34. Toronto is unbeaten in its last five series (3-0-2) after taking two of three from Texas to improve to 4-3 on its 10-game homestand. The Blue Jays have reason to be optimistic about the future with the rookie duo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, who collected his 16th extra-base hit Wednesday -- the most by any player in his first 17 games.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), Sportsnet, TVAS (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Wade LeBlanc (6-6, 5.14 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Jacob Waguespack (3-1, 4.31)
LeBlanc, who is expected to follow an opener Friday, deserved a better fate after suffering his third loss in as many appearances last time out versus Tampa Bay, working six strong innings of one-run ball in a 1-0 setback. He was hit hard in each of his previous two outings, giving up five runs in five innings against San Diego and six runs and 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings at Texas. Justin Smoak has gone deep twice in four at-bats off LeBlanc, who has surrendered 21 homers in 98 innings.
Waguespack had won back-to-back outings before lasting 3 2/3 innings versus the New York Yankees on Saturday, giving up a pair of homers among three hits in a no-decision. The 25-year-old rookie was superb in his previous two appearances, tossing six scoreless innings of four-hit ball at Tampa Bay and flustering Kansas City by giving up one run and three hits over six innings. Waguespack is holding left-handed batters to a .182 average, but righties are hitting .322 against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays OF Randal Grichuk was 6-for-12 with two homers, five RBIs and five runs scored in his last three.
2. Seager has hit safely in 19 of 20 games, hitting eight homers and driving in 19 runs.
3. Blue Jays C Danny Jansen was 5-for-8 with a homer and three RBIs in his last two games.