Wild-card contenders in both leagues will want to keep an eye on the weekend series between the Seattle Mariners (52-50) and Arizona Diamondbacks (55-48) this weekend. The action will take place in Chase Field as both squads try to pass the teams in front of them in the playoff picture. Things will get started Friday night between these interleague opponents. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. EDT.
A quietly successful 14-8 month entering this series has the Mariners a handful of games back for the final AL wild-card spot. As with most of their success, pitching is leading the way, with July shaping up to be their finest on the mound this season. In front of a bullpen that's top-five in ERA and FIP, Logan Gilbert will get the first start in the desert. Gilbert's last four starts have resulted in Seattle wins. He held three of those five opponents to fewer than three runs. The Mariners have an 8-3 record in his road starts, aided by Gilbert's 3.26 ERA in away games. Now would be an excellent time to maintain his dominance.
summertime magic pic.twitter.com/KSYZWpQTCY
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 26, 2023
At 4.82 runs per game in July, Seattle has bumped their season average up to 4.54, 14th in the league. The success comes despite a 26.1% strikeout rate that's 29th in the league. They're also 27th in batting average, 24th in OBP, and 23rd in slugging percentage. An above-average home run total and walk rate help this team get on the board. Getting those big knocks with runners on base also helps a lot.