Seattle @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 24, 2018 ) Seattle 6, Arizona 3

The Seattle Mariners hope to see All-Star closer Edwin Diaz on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning for the second straight night when they visit the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday for the middle contest of their three-game series. Diaz worked a perfect ninth in Friday's 6-3 victory for his 49th save, breaking the franchise single-season record set in 2014 by Fernando Rodney.

Seattle is 5 1/2 games behind first-place Houston in the American League West and four in back of Oakland for the second wild card, and manager Scott Servais points to the right-handed Diaz as a main cog in the team's success. "He's done a phenomenal job ... it is really, really nice to hand the ball to him," Servais said during Friday's postgame press conference. "He's been very, very consistent. He believes in his stuff, and why wouldn't he when you have that kind of stuff?" Arizona's setback in the opener marked its second loss in eight games, but the team remained one game ahead of Colorado in the National League West. Paul Goldschmidt went 0-for-4 for the Diamondbacks on Friday to halt a 14-game hitting streak during which he went 24-for-58 with five homers and 13 RBIs.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), FS Arizona

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Wade LeBlanc (7-3, 4.04 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks LH Robbie Ray (3-2, 4.91)

LeBlanc served up three homers for the second time in his last four starts as he allowed seven runs - five earned - over 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 17. The 34-year-old has posted a porous 6.75 ERA over the four-outing stretch and has worked five frames or fewer in three of the turns. LeBlanc is 3-3 with a 4.47 ERA in 13 career appearances (nine starts) versus Arizona.

Ray has gone six starts without recording a decision and is winless (0-2) over his last nine turns. The 26-year-old has pitched more than 5 1/3 innings just once during the winless stretch that began after he tossed six scoreless frames in a victory over Miami on June 27. Ray is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against Seattle, with the last outing being a no-decision on July 17, 2015 in which he gave up two runs and six hits over seven innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mariners SS Jean Segura (ribs) went 1-for-3 with an RBI on Friday after departing Wednesday's game against Houston due to the injury.

2. Arizona OF David Peralta has gone 8-for-16 with three homers and six RBIs during his four-game hitting streak.

3. Seattle RHP Mike Leake (illness) will make his first appearance since Aug. 15 when he starts Sunday's series finale.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 6, Mariners 4