(Photo credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images)

Perhaps the most positive aspect of the Seattle Mariners, at the moment, is their play on the road.

Looking to continue their recent success away from home on Friday night, the Mariners open a weekend set against a Kansas City Royals club that's struggled regardless of the location.

After winning its season road opener against the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle lost eight straight away from home. Since then, the Mariners are 9-4 on the road.

That success has kept the Mariners' season from truly spiraling in the wrong direction as they currently sit 24-27. Seattle, just 14-15 at home, where it was swept in a three-game set by Kansas City to open May, has averaged 5.5 runs and hit 20 homers during the last 13 road contests.

The Mariners should also have momentum after taking two of three at home from the surging Chicago White Sox. Randy Arozarena homered as Seattle won 5-4 in Wednesday's rubber game.

'The priority here is to get us playing our consistent baseball,' Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. 'Getting into a little bit of a flow and a bit of a rhythm.'

Scheduled Seattle starter and 2024 All-Star Logan Gilbert (2-4, 4.45 ERA) is 2-3 with a 5.67 ERA in seven home starts this season. In his most recent outing, the right-hander allowed a season-high seven runs -- six off three homers -- in 6 2/3 innings of the Mariners' 7-4 loss to visiting San Diego on Saturday.

'Just trying to attack, always,' Gilbert said.

Gilbert, however, has a 1.59 ERA in three 2026 road starts. He's 0-1 in those outings, but his Mariners' teammates have managed just one run in each of those contests.

In four career starts at Kansas City, Gilbert is 2-0 despite posting a 4.91 ERA. He's also benefited from 31 runs of support in those starts.

Kansas City totaled 14 runs in that sweep of the Mariners, which was part of a five-game winning streak. Since then, however, it's 3-11, and has scored 28 runs while losing nine of the last 10.

The Royals amassed just five runs while being swept in a three-game home series by Boston this week.

'Extremely disappointing,' Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. 'We play a good team coming in on Friday, and we've got to play well.

'They feel a tremendous amount of responsibility to get things going in the right direction.'

Scheduled Royals starter Noah Cameron (2-3, 5.40) has allowed at least three runs in six straight starts but recorded his second quality start of the season during Saturday's 4-2 loss at St. Louis. The second-year left-hander yielded three runs and five hits without a walk over six innings -- his second-longest start of 2026.

'Obviously, you can't be mad about quality starts,' Cameron said.

Cameron lasted 4 2/3 innings in his only appearance against the Mariners, a 3-2 Royals road loss in July 2025. However, he didn't yield a run while giving up four hits and a walk in the effort.

Arozarena went 2-for-3 against Cameron. Batting a team-leading .302 entering this series, he is just 1-for-25 with 10 strikeouts in his last seven games versus Kansas City.

Salvador Perez, who hit career home run No. 311 on Wednesday to move within six of the Royals' record, is 7-for-19 with two home runs and eight RBIs versus Gilbert. Meanwhile, fellow star teammate Bobby Witt Jr. is 7-for-14 against him.

--Field Level Media