Seattle Mariners

Ruiz back in Philadelphia with Mariners (May 10, 2017)

Published May. 10, 2017 2:24 a.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA -- The main highlight for the home crowd Wednesday afternoon is likely to be former Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz getting the start behind the plate for the Seattle Mariners in his return to Philadelphia.

Many in the crowd Tuesday came to see the return of Ruiz, the popular catcher who earned the nickname "Chooch" during his time in Philadelphia.

Ruiz was not in the starting lineup Tuesday when Seattle opened the series with a 10-9 win. He did, however, fly out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning.

Ruiz, who spent 18 years in the Phillies organization and won a World Series in 2008 will start Wednesday. He held a press conference before the game Tuesday and said he was looking forward to the ovation he would get.

"These are great fans, and I think when you play hard and when you do your best to win, they appreciate that," Ruiz said of the Philadelphia faithful.

While Ruiz and his .111 batting average haven't helped the Seattle offense much, the Mariners have been finding offense from plenty of other sources.

They got homers from Robinson Cano and Ben Gamel on Tuesday night. Cano later left with a quad injury and is day-to-day. He will be evaluated before the game Wednesday to determine his status.

Jean Segura also contributed three hits and three runs for Seattle.

Gamel had what he called his best day at any level in the win. He collected four hits and four RBIs to go with three runs and a big outfield assist.

Gamel is making a big case to remain in the Seattle lineup when Mitch Haniger (oblique) returns from the disabled list. He has reached safely in all 12 games he has played, and he has multiple hits in four of his past six games.

"I think he's got a good swing, and he knows the strike zone," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "I'm not totally surprised at the power he's shown. I don't think he's going to hit 30 home runs, but he can drive it out of the yard when he gets his pitch."

On the other side, the Phillies also will have a decision to make soon enough when outfielder Howie Kendrick returns from an oblique injury. With the way Aaron Altherr is hitting, manager Pete Mackanin will have a hard time figuring out what to do when Kendrick returns.

Altherr hit his fifth homer Tuesday. Through the first seven games of May, he is batting .423 with four doubles, three homers, 11 RBIs and six walks.

"Once Kendrick gets back, I don't know what we'll do," Mackanin said. "But in that scenario, because Altherr plays all three (outfield) positions well, I can find plenty of time for him."

For both teams, another highlight would be getting their starting pitchers to eat some innings.

The Phillies (13-18) and Mariners (16-17) played a nearly four-hour game Tuesday night, and each side used six pitchers. In Seattle's wild win, the teams combined for 27 hits and 12 walks.

On Wednesday, Zach Eflin (0-0, 2.42 ERA) takes the hill for the Phillies opposite Yovani Gallardo (1-3, 4.46).

Eflin, who is making his fifth start this year in his second season in the majors, has never faced the Mariners. The teams have met just 13 times in their history.

Gallardo, formerly of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League, is 4-0 with a 3.08 ERA lifetime against the Phillies in four starts, though only one of those outings came at Citizens Bank Park. He last faced the Phillies on May 31, 2016, in Philadelphia and allowed five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

The Mariners have won three in a row and five of their past six.

The Phillies are 2-9 in their past 11 games.