First pitch: Friday, 7:10 p.m. ET
Line: Seattle +170, Boston -180, Total: 10.0

The Red Sox will be going for their fifth straight win when they host the Mariners on Friday.

The Mariners are really struggling right now and can badly use a win against the Red Sox on Friday night. Seattle beat Washington 4-2 on Thursday, but the team had lost five straight heading into that one. The Mariners can’t afford to go through another spell like that, as they are still hoping to make the playoffs this season and can’t allow themselves to dig this hole any further. The Red Sox, meanwhile, will be showing no sympathy for the struggling Mariners. Boston is looking to win its fifth straight game, and this team desperately wants to get to the top of the AL East standings. The starters in this Friday night battle are going to be RHP Yovani Gallardo (2-4, 5.84 ERA, 36 K) for Seattle and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3-1, 3.10 ERA, 55 K) for Boston. One odd trend that favors the Mariners in this game is the fact that Gallardo’s teams are 12-4 against the money line when facing AL East opponents since 1997. Seattle is, however, a lousy 6-18 against the money line as an underdog of +100 or higher this season.

The Mariners are going to be hungry for a victory on Friday, but they will need a good start from Gallardo in order for that to happen. The righty is coming off of his worst start of the season, as he gave up nine earned runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings of work against the White Sox on May 20. Gallardo had allowed just seven earned runs total in his previous three starts, so Seattle is definitely hoping that it was just a rough day for the veteran. Offensively, one guy that the Mariners will be counting on a big way is DH Nelson Cruz (.296 BA, 12 HR, 40 RBI). Cruz has seen his average drop from .318 to .296 over the past 10 games, but he has homered in two of his past three contests. This matchup also happens to favor the 36-year-old, as Rodriguez is a mistake-prone lefty. Don’t be surprised if Cruz ends up homering in this one. He will, however, need help from guys like 2B Robinson Cano (.306 BA, 8 HR, 30 RBI) and SS Jean Segura (.335 BA, 4 HR, 20 RBI). Both superstars are having fantastic seasons, and they’ll need to be at their best here.

The Red Sox are sending Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound on Friday, and the lefty has been having a career year for Boston. Rodriguez has allowed three or fewer earned runs in all but one of his nine appearances this season. He has also struck out eight or more batters in three starts. His stuff is truly remarkable, but he must dial in on Friday. Rodriguez can struggle with control at times, and that can’t happen against a dangerous lineup like Seattle’s here. Offensively, SS Xander Bogaerts (.335 BA, 1 HR, 17 RBI) is somebody that should be able to step up and help Rodriguez by producing some runs. He has been insane this season, but has also been even better of late. In the series against Texas, Bogaerts was 7-for-14 with two doubles, a homer, and five RBI in three games. The Sox also have plenty of other weapons that can come through here.