AP Sports Preview: Red Sox at Mariners

SEATTLE (Interstat) — The Boston Red Sox visit the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, June 20, at T-Mobile Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. local time.

Boston (29-43) enters the series opener struggling after dropping three consecutive games to the Toronto Blue Jays, including a 4-3 loss Thursday. The Red Sox have lost 10 of their last 12 contests and sit in last place in the American League East.

Seattle (39-37) snapped a two-game losing skid Thursday with a 3-0 shutout of the Baltimore Orioles. The Mariners remain in the thick of the AL West race, three games above .500.

Right-hander Sonny Gray (3-4, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to start for Boston. Gray took a loss in his last outing Thursday against Toronto, allowing three earned runs on six hits over seven innings with four strikeouts. He had won his previous two starts, including a 10-1 victory over Texas on June 12 in which he yielded one earned run over six innings with seven strikeouts.

Right-hander Bryan Woo (5-6, 4.50 ERA) gets the nod for Seattle. Woo was dominant in his last start Thursday, firing seven scoreless innings against Baltimore, allowing three hits and striking out nine in a 3-0 win. The performance came after he gave up seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings at Baltimore on June 11.

The teams played to a 0-0 tie Friday in a game that was suspended due to rain. It will be resumed later in the series.

Betting markets have installed Boston as a -1.5 run-line favorite. The over/under is set at 7 runs. The Interstat game simulator projects a 5-2 Seattle victory.

Following Saturday’s game, the teams conclude the series Sunday before Boston travels to Colorado for a three-game set, while Seattle heads to Pittsburgh for a three-game series starting Tuesday.