Braves Visit the Mariners to Begin 3-game Series
Atlanta Braves (86-51, second in the NL East) vs. Seattle Mariners (77-60, second in the AL West)
Seattle; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Charlie Morton (7-5, 4.01 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 175 strikeouts); Mariners: Robbie Ray (12-8, 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 183 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: The Seattle Mariners host the Atlanta Braves on Friday to open a three-game series.
Seattle has a 36-30 record at home and a 77-60 record overall. The Mariners are 49-7 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.
Atlanta has an 86-51 record overall and a 39-26 record on the road. Braves hitters have a collective .446 slugging percentage to rank second in the NL.
The matchup Friday is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ty France has 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 71 RBI while hitting .278 for the Mariners. Julio Rodriguez is 12-for-42 with two doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.
Austin Riley leads the Braves with a .285 batting average, and has 36 doubles, two triples, 35 home runs, 46 walks and 89 RBI. Michael Harris II is 18-for-39 with two home runs and seven RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mariners: 8-2, .222 batting average, 1.57 ERA, outscored opponents by 30 runs
Braves: 7-3, .263 batting average, 2.86 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs
INJURIES: Mariners: Dylan Moore: 10-Day IL (oblique), Ryan Borucki: 15-Day IL (forearm), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Casey Sadler: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Braves: Darren O'Day: 60-Day IL (calf), Chadwick Tromp: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Adam Duvall: 60-Day IL (wrist), Luke Jackson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Ozzie Albies: 60-Day IL (foot), Manny Pina: 60-Day IL (wrist)