MLB Game Preview - Tampa Bay at Seattle

Fri Aug 9, 2019 10:10 PM EDT

Last Nov. 8 was the day the Seattle Mariners' "step-back" plan was put in motion.

Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto sent catcher Mike Zunino, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2012 MLB draft, along with two others to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Mallex Smith and minor-leaguer Jake Fraley.

Zunino will make his return to Seattle on Friday, when the Rays open a three-game series against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

"I think the direction (the Mariners) were going and what was happening there, it was probably time for it," Zunino told the Tampa Bay Times. "I knew that was a good chapter in my life but I was looking forward to something else when I got traded over here."

That something would be a chance to play in the postseason. The Rays are currently a half-game ahead of Oakland for the American League's second wild-card spot.

Zunino, who had career-highs in batting .251 with 25 home runs and 64 RBIs for the Mariners in 2017, enters the series hitting .175, second-lowest in the AL, with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 65 games.

He has homered in two of the past four games. That includes a two-run shot in the ninth inning Wednesday of a 4-3 loss to Toronto.

"Hopefully it's a sign of some stuff coming," Cash said. "Hopefully he's excited to get back to Seattle, see some former teammates and an environment he's played a lot of baseball in and can do some damage up there.

"I think he's done a lot of good things for us behind the plate. I think he's really battled through some offensive inconsistencies. ... It's really easy when you're a position player other than a catcher that you can really let your at-bats affect your overall game and maybe not a lot of people see it. If you do that as a catcher, the whole team is going to see it, the ballpark is going to see it. I give 'Z' a lot of credit for not allowing that. He's continued to show up every day and work and try to get out of this offensive funk."

The Rays haven't yet announced their starting pitcher for the series opener, while the Mariners are scheduled to go with their ace, left-hander Marco Gonzales (12-9, 4.32 ERA).

Gonzales suffered a loss his last time out at Houston when the Mariners were no-hit for the second time since the All-Star break, but is 7-3 with a 3.61 ERA over his past 10 starts. He's 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay, both coming last year.

The Mariners, who like the Rays had Thursday off, snapped a five-game losing streak Wednesday with a 3-2 interleague victory against visiting San Diego.

Seattle scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as Smith hustled for a double on a shallow fly ball to left-center field, just beat a tag at third on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Daniel Vogelbach legged out what appeared to be a potential inning-ending double play.

"Really, Mallex's speed ... he's the only guy on our team that is safe on that play," Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Smith being ruled safe at third after a video review. "Their catcher actually made a pretty good play and we just got in under the tag. 'Vogey' got the ball in play and we found a way to scratch out a run."

--Field Level Media