San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners
SEATTLE (Interstat) — The San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners open a three-game series Friday night at T-Mobile Park, where rain and temperatures around 56 degrees are in the forecast for the 7:10 p.m. first pitch.
San Diego (25-18) enters as one of the National League’s top teams, while Seattle (22-23) looks to build on momentum after an 8-3 win Thursday at Houston. The Padres took all three games from the Mariners in San Diego from April 14-16, outscoring them 16-9.
Right-hander Randy Vásquez (4-1, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to start for San Diego. He has been a steady presence in the rotation. Seattle had not announced its starter as of Friday morning, with right-hander Luis Castillo a possibility after he allowed three runs over 5 2/3 innings Thursday.
Padres right-hander Matt Waldron is a key arm to watch out of the bullpen. The knuckleballer worked 2 scoreless innings Thursday against Milwaukee, striking out four, after a rough outing May 12 in which he gave up six earned runs. Over his past two appearances, he has allowed no earned runs with seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
For Seattle, center fielder Luke Raley has been on a tear. He went 2 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs in Thursday’s win, and has three homers and seven RBIs over his past four games. Raley is batting .400 (6 for 15) with three home runs in that span.
The Padres are coming off a 7-1 loss at Milwaukee on Thursday, snapping a two-game winning streak. They have won six of their past 10.
Seattle has won four of its past five, including a three-game sweep at Houston earlier this week.
Betting line: Seattle is a -1.5 favorite, according to Interstat. The over/under is 7.5 runs. Interstat’s ELO model gives Seattle a 52.6% chance to win, while its game simulator projects a 5-4 San Diego victory.
The series continues Saturday and Sunday before both teams return home. San Diego hosts the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, while Seattle welcomes the Chicago White Sox.
Note: Both teams entered Friday with no official lineup announcements.