Mariners-Phillies Preview
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, following a six-game winning streak on April 27, talked of the importance of a looming set of games -- 10 in 10 days -- against the class of the National League.
The Phillies (13-17) are through that stretch of games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals.
On Sunday, they salvaged a game against the Nationals in a come-from-behind, extra-inning win. But that victory only made Philadelphia 2-8 for its tough stretch. However, the Phillies were in every game, holding a lead at some point in nine of the contests. They ended the 10 games with a minus-9 run differential. Progress indeed for a rebuilding unit.
"Well, you know, we went through that last year," Mackanin said Sunday. "We were playing in so many close games. The pitching really held us together last year. Not so much this year. But we're doing the same thing this year. We're on the verge of becoming a better team."
The process to becoming a better team continues Tuesday, when the Phillies welcome the Seattle Mariners (15-17) to Citizens Bank Park for a two-game interleague series. Both teams were off Monday.
Philadelphia will send right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (0-3, 4.00 ERA) to the mound Tuesday against left-hander Ariel Miranda (3-2, 3.55).
The Phillies, by and large, have a righty-heavy lineup, with a few switch hitters. Despite that, Miranda has been excellent against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .240 clip batting average against, compared to the .267 posted by left-handed hitters.
Miranda, 28, has 91 innings under his belt in the majors, none of which have come against Philadelphia.
Eickhoff has not benefited from much run support this season. The 26-year-old righty is tied for the 11th-lowest run support in baseball. His last two starts were low points of 2017. He took a loss in each outing, allowing five runs against the Dodgers before surrendering four to the Cubs in his last start on May 3.
Like Miranda, Eickhoff has never faced his Tuesday opponent.
The two-game set is a rare meeting between Philadelphia and Seattle. The teams have played just 10 times since 2003 and just six times since 2011, with their last meeting coming in 2014.
The Mariners have won four of five entering Tuesday. On Sunday, slugger Kyle Seager picked the perfect time to hit his first home run of the year at Safeco Field, launching an eighth-inning blast that served as the winning run in a 4-3 win.
The 29-year-old Seager, who hits in the heart of the Seattle lineup, has had a slow start power-wise. The home run Sunday was just his second of the year to go with 17 RBI and a .267 batting average. He's hit 25 or more homers in each of the last three seasons.
"I've been feeling good the last couple days and hitting the ball a little harder," Seager told MLB.com.
Mariners catcher Carlos Ruiz will be making his return to Philadelphia this week. Ruiz, nicknamed "Chooch" from his time with the Phillies, played parts of 11 seasons with Philadelphia and caught the final out in the 2008 World Series.
The 38-year-old Ruiz is expected to see more playing time now, since Seattle sent struggling catcher Mike Zunino to Triple-A Tacoma prior to its weekend series with Texas. The Mariners took two of three games from the Rangers. Ruiz will split time with veteran Tuffy Gosewich, a former Phillies farmhand himself, moving forward.
"I have a lot of memories from there," Ruiz told MLB.com about Philadelphia. "I remember my first day when I got called up. I remember winning the World Series. That's the whole goal. Catching on all those teams, I had a great time, and I can't wait to go back and see all my old friends and teammates. It'll be special."
The Phillies and the home crowd will likely welcome Ruiz with open arms. Ruiz was behind the plate for 11 of Eickhoff's starts in Philadelphia.
