MLB Game Preview - Texas at Seattle

Sat Apr 27, 2019 9:10 PM EDT

With his cleanup hitter batting .188 and in an 0-for-15 slump, Texas Rangers first-year manager Chris Woodward refused to panic.

"The game's hard," Woodward said Monday. "Nobody's panicking about (Nomar) Mazara."

Turns out, Woodward was right.

In four games since, Mazara is 8-for-18 with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs to raise his average to .244 entering the third of a four-game series at Seattle on Saturday.

He went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs on Friday night -- on his 24th birthday -- in a 5-4 loss in 11 innings.

"I think my mind is stronger than what I thought it was," Mazara told the Star-Telegram before his recent hot streak. "I still show up every day and work like I'm hitting .300. It's not affecting me. The feeling I have at the plate is all I care about, and I feel pretty good. I'm putting good swings on the ball, but I'm not getting any hits."

Although the Rangers have lost five straight games, Mazara raved about the positive attitude Woodward and his coaching staff have brought to the job.

"When you've got people around you that want you that want you to be better, not as a player but a person, too, and not be better, be great at what you do, that's a huge difference," Mazara told the Star-Telegram. "That matters, especially since we've got a lot of young guys here."

The Rangers will send left-hander Mike Minor (2-2, 3.21 ERA) to the mound Saturday in an effort to halt their skid. Minor is 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in eight career appearances (five starts) against the Mariners.

After losing the series opener 14-2, Texas sent Friday's game to extra innings as pinch-hitter Shin-Soo Choo homered with one out in the top of the ninth inning. The Mariners scored the winning run in the 11th on a fielder's choice after loading the bases on a single and two walks.

"Obviously, we're going to turn the page," Woodward said late Friday night. "This one stings a lot, and we're going to have trouble getting to bed tonight, but we've got a game tomorrow and we've got our best pitcher on the mound. We'll hopefully even the series after our next two."

Right-hander Mike Leake (2-2, 4.30) is set to start for the Mariners, who have won the first two games after going 0-6 on their last homestand. Leake is 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA in six career starts against the Rangers.

The Mariners could use a long outing from Leake after using seven of their eight relievers Friday night.

"It was a crazy game, and we used almost all of our bullpen," Mariners manager Scott Servais said.

Edwin Encarnacion hit his seventh home run of the season for Seattle, a three-run shot into the second deck in left field, and later drove in a fourth run.

Jay Bruce, who leads the Mariners with nine home runs, returned to the lineup Friday after missing four straight games with a sore right quadriceps.

--Field Level Media