It’s been nearly two weeks since the Seattle Mariners lost back-to-back games.
They’ll try to keep that from happening again by winning their fourth straight series Thursday afternoon, this one against the host Kansas City Royals, who have gone nearly two weeks without winning consecutive contests.
Seattle (83-69) had its 10-game winning streak snapped Wednesday in a 7-5 loss to Kansas City. Eugenio Suarez halted an 0-for-32 slump by going 4-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Mariners, and J.P. Crawford hit a go-ahead solo shot in the eighth, but the Royals (76-76) scored four times in the bottom of the frame to even the three-game set.
It was the Mariners’ first loss since a four-game skid from Sept 1-5. Seattle is one-half game behind the Astros in the race for the American League West title, with a three-game weekend clash between the clubs set to begin Friday in Houston.
“It’s been a good streak, no doubt about it,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Come back (Thursday), bounce back (from Wednesday’s loss), and get a series victory.”
After Cal Raleigh set the major league record for homers by a switch hitter with his 55th during Seattle’s 12-5 win Tuesday at Kansas City, then tied Ken Griffey Jr.’s single-season Mariners mark with his 56th later in the game, he went 1-for-4 with a single Wednesday.
On May 16, Raleigh clubbed a two-run homer off Thursday’s scheduled Kansas City starter, Stephen Kolek (5-5, 3.71 ERA), who yielded five runs on three long balls over five innings that day while pitching for San Diego and took the 5-1 loss.
In his career against the Mariners, Kolek has two appearances (one start) and is 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA. However, the right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.83 ERA in three starts since being acquired from the Padres at the trade deadline.
Kolek, who will start Thursday after veteran Seth Lugo suffered a setback in his recovery from a lower back strain, allowed a run, three hits and one walk over 6 2/3 innings in his most recent outing at Cleveland last Thursday.
He took a no-decision in a 3-2 loss.
“I’ve been working on developing new (pitches), and to be able to execute them at a pretty good clip (against the Guardians), to see the plan of attack that we had, felt pretty good,” Kolek told the Royals’ official website.
Kansas City’s postseason hopes have faded amid a 3-7 rut, but the club has a chance to win back-to-back contests for the first time since a three-game run from Sept. 4-6. Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer Wednesday for the Royals, giving him 302 home runs and 1,008 RBIs on a storied career.
Perez is 6-for-16 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in the past four games. He’s just 4-for-18 without a home run against scheduled Mariners starter Luis Castillo (9-8, 3.76).
The veteran right-hander has allowed a run over six innings in each of his past two starts, most recently while giving up three hits and two walks against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. The Mariners won 2-1, but he did not get a decision.
“He’s a veteran, he understands,” Wilson said of Castillo, who was 0-2 with a 10.06 ERA in his four starts prior to the previous two. “He stepped up.”
Castillo is 2-2 with a 3.98 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals.