Mariners begin pivotal road trip against Rangers (Jul 31, 2017)
Now comes the hard part for the Seattle Mariners.
After returning to the .500 mark with a 9-1 victory against the New York Mets on Sunday, the Mariners hit the road, beginning with a game Monday night in Texas. Seattle plays 21 of its next 28 games away from Safeco Field.
After three games against the Rangers, Seattle heads to Kansas City for a four-game series with the Royals, the team the Mariners are chasing for the second American League wild-card position.
Seattle finishes a nine-game trip with two in Oakland before its only August homestand, against the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles.
The Mariners (53-53) are 3 1/2 games behind Kansas City.
"We need to play at the top of our game and everybody has to be contributing up and down that lineup, the rotation, the bullpen," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "We know what's ahead of us. We will embrace what's ahead of us. We are not going to shy away from it.
"You looked at the schedule way back in January when I first got asked about it, well, it is what it is. We have an interesting August ahead of us. It will be very challenging. We'll find out a lot about our club. But we finished up on a high note at home."
Despite playing 19 games at home in June and 17 more in July, the Mariners have only spent three days above .500 this season.
They can take heart that they went 5-1 on their last trip, against the Chicago White Sox and AL West-leading Houston Astros, coming out of the All-Star break.
"We've played pretty good on the road," said Nelson Cruz, whose three-run homer in the first inning Sunday provided all the offense left-hander James Paxton needed. "Hopefully, we can keep doing what we are doing. We live on the road most of the time. It's nothing new. It's part of who we are as a team. We travel the most and have the farthest flights of anyone. It doesn't come easy, but we are used to it."
The Mariners have won four of their five series since the break, taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox and Mets after opening their recent 10-game homestand by losing three of four to the New York Yankees.
"You were hoping to win all the series, but we stubbed our toe a bit against the Yankees," Servais said. "We've responded."
The Rangers (50-54) are just two games behind the Mariners, but they have been shopping right-hander Yu Darvish as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches Monday.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported the Rangers are "more sold than ever" that they will trade Darvish.
The Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to Darvish, while the Cleveland Indians reportedly also have strong interest.
Darvish's batterymate exited Sunday night when the Rangers dealt catcher Jonathan Lucroy to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named.
The series opener at Globe Life Park on Monday will feature two veteran starters with multiple All-Star appearances.
Right-hander Felix Hernandez (5-4, 4.08 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Mariners against Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels (5-1, 3.97).
Hernandez is 3-2 with a 3.67 ERA since returning from the disabled list June 23 following nearly two months off because of inflammation in his right shoulder.
In his last outing, Hernandez gave up four runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings against Boston, a game the Mariners won 6-5 in 13 innings. Hernandez allowed just one run on two hits through five innings before running into trouble.
Hamels is 4-1 with a 4.78 ERA in six starts since his own stint on the DL caused by a right oblique strain. He is coming off a 10-4 victory against Miami on Tuesday, when he gave up four runs in six innings.
Hernandez will be making his 52nd career start against Texas. He is 19-23 with a 3.89 ERA vs. the Rangers. In his only start against them this season, Hernandez gave up six hits and one run in 7 1/3 innings during a win on April 14.
Hamels is 5-3 with a 5.12 ERA in 11 career starts against Seattle. He gave up six hits and four runs (three earned) over five innings in his only start against the Mariners this season, on April 16.
The Rangers lost 10-6 Sunday to visiting Baltimore, but the highlight was a double by Adrian Beltre in the fourth inning off the Orioles' Wade Miley. It was Beltre's 3,000th career hit, making him the 31st player in major league history to reach the milestone and the first Dominican-born player to do so.
"When I got my second at-bat, I thought, 'This has to be it. I don't want to have the fans waiting, my family is waiting for it. I don't want to drag it one more day,'" Beltre said. "When I got the 3-0 (count), I was doubting myself. 'Should I swing, or should I just take?' The way Miley was pitching, I thought, 'This is going to be the best pitch he will throw me.' And I decided, if it's going to be on the plate, I'm going to swing. And I did."
