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Rays at Mariners: Rich Hill on the mound

After losing two of three to the AL-leading White Sox, the Rays open a weekend series in Seattle.
 
Rays starting pitcher Rich Hill hopes tonight goes better than his last outing, when things fell apart for him in the fifth inning against the Orioles.
Rays starting pitcher Rich Hill hopes tonight goes better than his last outing, when things fell apart for him in the fifth inning against the Orioles. [ ADAM HUNGER | AP ]
Published June 18, 2021|Updated June 18, 2021

Veteran lefty Rich Hill will be on the mound for the Rays tonight when they open a four-game weekend series in Seattle against the Mariners; first pitch is at 10:10.

Hill was disappointed with his last outing Saturday against the Orioles, in which he cruised through the first four innings before loading the bases and giving up a grand slam. He was unable to finish the fifth.

The Rays lost two of three in Chicago to the now American League-leading White Sox, who at 43-25 are a half game ahead.

The Mariners, who have won 14 of their past 23 and are 34-36, will start right-hander Justin Dunn.

Earlier Thursday, the Rays:

⋅ Activated reliever Collin McHugh, who spent Wednesday on the COVID-19-related injured list after waking up feeling sick but tested negative.

⋅ Acquired first baseman Mike Ford from the Yankees for cash or a player to be named, with plans to send him to Triple-A Durham to provide depth.

Thursday’s game is the first matchup between the teams since Aug. 21, 2019, with 665 days in between. The Rays were 4-2 against the Mariners that season, winning the season series 4-2 with the road team taking the first five. Also, they have played a lot of close games, with eight of the past 13 decided by one run — and two others by two.

Among the familiar faces on the Mariners roster are first baseman Jake Bauers, an ex-Ray acquired recently from Cleveland; outfielder Jake Fraley and lefty Anthony Misiewicz, former Rays minor-leaguers acquired in trades; and bench coach Jared Sandberg, a longtime Rays minor-league manager. Pitching coach Pete Woodworth is a St. Petersburg native and St. Pete Catholic product who pitched in the minors and scouted for the Rays.

Here is the Rays lineup:

And here is the Mariners lineup, which was updated:

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