Tampa Bay @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( May 27, 2015 ) Seattle 3, Tampa Bay 0

The Seattle Mariners look to turn their fortunes around when they host the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series. Seattle dropped a 3-1 decision to the New York Yankees on Wednesday for its fifth consecutive defeat — falling to 1-6 on an 11-game homestand — and acquired slugger Mark Trumbo in a six-player deal with Arizona after the contest.

Nelson Cruz (18 homers) is 3-for-20 with nine strikeouts in the last five games while Robinson Cano is 4-for-26 in the past seven for the Mariners, who are 28th in the majors in runs. Seattle swept three at Tampa Bay late last month and hopes to carry that over against former Mariner right-hander Erasmo Ramirez. Lefty Roenis Elias attempts to win for the second time this season against the Rays, who have triumphed in four of their last five overall. Steven Souza Jr. hit his fourth homer in six games and Kevin Kiermaier belted a solo shot in the 10th for a 6-5 victory at the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Erasmo Ramirez (3-2, 5.53 ERA) vs. Mariners LH Roenis Elias (2-2, 3.07)

Ramirez comes in off his best outing of the season Saturday when he allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to beat Baltimore. The 25-year-old from Nicaragua, who was 7-12 in 47 appearances (35 starts) over three years with Seattle, has yielded one or fewer runs in three of his six starts in 2015. Seth Smith is 4-for-11 with two doubles and a home run versus Ramirez.

Elias gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings last time out in a loss to Cleveland after limiting his first six opponents to three runs or fewer, including Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old Cuban permitted one run and six hits over six innings to beat the Rays on May 25 and is 2-0 in two starts against them overall. Logan Forsythe is 2-for-5 with homer against Elias, who has given up six blasts in seven starts this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Seattle 1B Logan Morrison has hit safely in a season-high 11 games and went 5-for-11 against Tampa Bay last month.

2. Rays OF-DH Joey Butler is 10-for-21 with a pair of homers and four RBIs over the last five contests.

3. Trumbo, who hit 95 homers with the Angels from 2011-13, batted .259 with nine blasts, 10 doubles and 23 RBIs for Arizona.

PREDICTION: Mariners 5, Rays 2