Mariners at Rangers
Marco Gonzales has been one of the few bright spots in a rebuilding year for the Seattle Mariners. The steady left-hander will try to become the sixth 15-game winner in the major leagues this season when he starts the second contest of Seattle's four-game series against the host Texas Rangers on Friday.
Gonzales' teammates rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning to take Thursday's series opener 5-3, snapping the team's three-game slide. Austin Nola drove in the tie-breaking run with a sacrifice fly and Kyle Seager went 1-for-3 and scored a run while improving his batting average to .304 in 74 career games at Globe Life Park. Willie Calhoun's solo homer - his fifth blast in 10 contests - was one of the highlights in Thursday's loss for the Rangers. Calhoun is 2-for-6 with a double in his career against Gonzales, who will be opposed by Kolby Allard on Friday.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), FS Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Marco Gonzales (14-10, 4.17 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Kolby Allard (2-0, 4.64)
Gonzales has won both of his last two starts, allowing four runs and eight hits in 12 innings. He worked seven frames in three of his four turns against the Rangers this year while giving up a total of three earned runs, but he was slammed for eight - six earned - in four innings of another meeting. Shin-Soo Choo is 8-for-17 and Rougned Odor has gone 7-for-18 against the 27-year-old Gonzales, who is 5-3 with a 3.25 ERA in nine career starts versus Texas.
Allard is coming off the best start of his young career, a road triumph over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday in which he tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings and registered eight strikeouts. He has allowed just one home run in 21 1/3 frames this year after serving up three in eight innings with Atlanta last season. The former first-round draft pick will be facing the Mariners for the first time.
WALK-OFFS
1. Odor has gone 0-for-27 over his last nine games, prompting MGR Chris Woodward to tell reporters he may consider benching the second baseman.
2. Nola has collected eight RBIs over his last eight road contests.
3. Rangers 2B-DH Nick Solak recorded a pair of hits ono Thursday to extend his career-opening on-base streak to 10 games.