Cole Hamels (6-8, 3.86 ERA) and Taijuan Walker (8-7, 4.60 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (59-57) and the Seattle Mariners (55-63) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 17 and can be seen on RTNW and FSSW.
Hamels pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs, striking out seven and walking two in a 4-3 defeat to the Mariners. Mitch Moreland (.298, 39 Rs, 17 HRs, 61 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 3. Walker went 6.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out six and walking one in a 6-5 defeat to the Orioles in his most recent start. Nelson Cruz (.321, 66 Rs, 36 HRs, 74 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 7 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Texas is a -138 favorite against Seattle and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +1,722 and a record as the favorite of 9-12. Texas has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 2-4 and 18-28 as the favorite and SU respectively. The Rangers have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in offense with 4.5 runs per game. The Rangers are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits at home with an impressive 9.0 per game. Texas is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks at home, earning an average of 3.2 per game. Texas’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 5.4 against fellow AL West members, compared to its 4.8 season average.
In games where it is the underdog, Seattle has a 23-25 record and an overall money line of -1,638. They are 10-8 as the underdog against fellow AL West members, and 23-22 SU. Offensively, the Mariners have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.8 runs per game by averaging 4.8 during that stretch. The Mariners allow 4.5 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 7.2 runs per game during that span. The Mariners have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 7.8 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Mariners have controlled the season series, 7-2. The Rangers have a 39-35 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Walker takes the mound. Hamels (LHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 13-18 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tex, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rangers are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Mariners have a 13-14 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Mariners, as the Rangers have won their last three games while the Mariners have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 34-18. The Rangers have a 45-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 24th, Seattle sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 441 this season. Texas ranks in the top five at fifth with 519.
Both Texas and Seattle are tied at 13th in walks with a total of 336 this season.
When the Rangers hit at least one home run, they are 46-23. When the Mariners hit at least one homer, they have a 46-35 record.
