Tampa Bay @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2013 ) Tampa Bay 4, Seattle 6

The Tampa Bay Rays made one of the greatest September charges in baseball history in 2011, erasing a nine-game deficit to overtake Boston and reach the postseason. Fast forward two years and the Rays are trying to avoid being on the wrong end of a last-month swoon after dropping 10 of 13 games to see their lead over Baltimore and Cleveland for the second wild card cut to two games. Rookie Chris Archer attempts to stem the slide when he faces the host Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

Tampa Bay's chances of a 2011 sequel are looking more remote by the day as Friday's series-opening 6-4 loss dropped them 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox in the AL East. The Mariners had been dreadful in the clutch, going 5-for-50 with runners in scoring position over a six-game stretch before producing three times in such situations on Friday. Raul Ibanez has homered in back-to-back contests and has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.

TV: 9:10 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay), ROOT (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Chris Archer (8-6, 3.14 ERA) vs. Mariners LH James Paxton (NR)

Archer's string of three superb starts came to a halt last time out, when he was battered for five runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings by the Los Angeles Angels. He was 2-0 in his previous three turns, giving up four runs on 13 hits in 21 frames. Archer was hit hard in his lone career start against the Mariners on Aug. 13, getting tagged for five runs on nine hits in five innings.

Paxton will be making his major-league debut for Seattle, which will go with a six-man rotation for the remainder of the season. A fourth-round draft pick in 2010, the 24-year-old native of British Columbia had an up-and-down season at Triple-A Tacoma. Paxton was 8-11 with a 4.45 ERA, but he struck out 131 in 145 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Ibanez needs two homers to tie Ted Williams (29) for the most by a player 41 years of age or older.

2. Rays 2B Ben Zobrist is 8-for-18 during his five-game hitting streak.

3. Paxton will be the fourth rookie pitcher to start a game for Seattle this season.

PREDICTION: Rays 5, Mariners 2