Mariners look to complete sweep of Orioles (Jun 28, 2018)

BALTIMORE -- The Seattle Mariners came into their final series of a three-city road trip having won just one of six games against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox Now, they have a chance Thursday afternoon to complete a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

Seattle has won the first three games of this series, the last coming on Wednesday with an 8-7 victory in 11 innings over the slumping and injury-riddled Orioles. After rallying in the ninth, the Mariners can get their first four-game sweep in Baltimore in team history.

Mike Leake (8-4, 4.11 ERA) will start for the Mariners against Jimmy Yacabonis (0-0, 15.43).

Dylan Bundy was supposed to make the start for Baltimore, but the Orioles put him on the disabled list Tuesday after he rolled his ankle while running the bases in Atlanta last weekend.

Leake has no record in just one career game against the Orioles. This season, the right-hander has won five of his last six decisions and pitched well.

Yacabonis was just called up Wednesday and will be making his first appearance against the Mariners, who have hurt the Orioles with late-inning rallies.

Seattle won the first game 5-3 with two runs in the seventh. The Mariners posted a 3-2 win Tuesday thanks to a pair of runs in the eighth. Then, Seattle tied Wednesday's game on Kyle Seager's two-run homer in the ninth and won it on a Denard Span 11th-inning sacrifice fly.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he talked with Manny Machado about the way the shortstop did not fully run out the ground ball that became a double play in Tuesday's loss and agreed it did not look good.

"It still is a really bad presentation and he knows that," Showalter told reporters on Wednesday. "The toughest thing about it is it's a poor presentation of what he's really about."

Machado must have gotten the message because he made an alert base-running play in Wednesday's loss, scoring all the way from first when the Mariners mishandled a throw from the outfield to the plate.

On the injury front, Seattle designated hitter Nelson Cruz did not start for a second straight day due to lower back tightness/spasms. Cruz told reporters on Wednesday that he's hoping to be back for Thursday afternoon's game.

Mariners manager Scott Servais also was hopeful of getting Cruz's big bat in the lineup for the series finale.

"Nellie feels much today," Servais told reporters before Wednesday's game. "Still thought it would be best, talking to our medical staff, that we give him an extra day. Tough not putting him in here. I know he's anxious to play here in Baltimore."

The Orioles' season-long injuries problems have continued in this series.

Side-arming right-hander Darren O'Day injured his hamstring while trying to field a bunt in Tuesday's loss and went on the disabled list.

He initially hurt the hamstring several days ago but will be out after re-aggravating it.

Outfielder Craig Gentry also went on the 10-day disabled list with a rib fracture (retroactive to June 24). Baltimore brought up the versatile Steve Wilkerson from Norfolk to fill Gentry's spot.

The team was not sure on when either O'Day or Gentry would return -- and that's the way it's gone much of this season for the Orioles. They'll also be making one or two more roster moves before Thursday's contest.