In the second of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners (3-7) and the Texas Rangers (3-7) at Safeco Field, Felix Hernandez (1-0, 3.00 ERA) and Colby Lewis (1-0, 3.38 ERA) get the start. The Rangers won the last game 3-1 and Texas leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 9:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 18 and will air on FSN-SW, ROOT-NW and MLB Netw.
Hernandez is 12-21 with a 4.01 ERA against the Rangers in his career, and is up against a struggling Texas offense that’s hitting just .211 on the year. Nelson Cruz (.342, 7 Rs, 6 HRs, 9 RBIs) kept up his strong start yesterday, going 3 for 4. In his career against the Mariners, Lewis is 7-6 with a 3.91 ERA. He gets a less-than-stellar Seattle offense that’s batting just .215. Prince Fielder (.419, 3 Rs, 5 RBIs) has been doing well to start the season for the Rangers, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one RBI.
Seattle is a heavy -221 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is six runs. The Mariners are 2-3 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -330. They typically aren’t overmatched by pitchers, ranking third in the AL with an average of only 5.2 strikeouts per home game. Transitioning to the pitching staff, the Mariners rank second in the AL in home ERA with a 2.25 team average. The Mariners don’t give up many hits to opposing batters at Safeco Field, ranking fourth in the AL with only 6.5 hits allowed per home game.
Across the field, the Rangers have a subpar record of 3-5 when they are the underdog and are -115 overall with the money line. Against divisional rivals, they are 4-6 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 3-5 record.
The only other game between the two teams went Texas’s way. The right-handed Hernandez will take the mound against the Rangers, who have a 4-3 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle’s last 8 games.
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Seattle’s last 13 games when playing Texas.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Seattle’s last 7 games when playing at home against Texas.
The Mariners are 3-4 against their divisional rivals, while the Rangers are 5-6 against their division.
The Mariners are 2-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Rangers are 0-1 in such matchups.
The Rangers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Mariners have a 1-6 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 1-1. The Rangers have a 3-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 23rd in runs, Seattle has earned 33 this season. Texas ranks 16th with 40 runs.
Ranking 27th, Seattle is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 20 this season. Texas ranks in the top half at 14th with 31.
When the Mariners hit at least one home run, they are 3-4. When the Rangers hit at least one homer, they have a 3-1 record.
