Roenis Elias (4-7, 4.35 ERA) and Yovani Gallardo (11-9, 3.27 ERA) start in the first of a four-game series between the Seattle Mariners (66-71) and the Texas Rangers (71-64) at Safeco Field. The Mariners come into this series hoping to extend a five-game winning streak. Action begins at 6:40 p.m. ET on Monday, Sep. 7 and can be seen on RTNW and FSSW.
Elias pitched 5.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs, striking out four and walking four in a 7-5 defeat to the Astros. Welington Castillo (.251, 39 Rs, 18 HRs, 46 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 3 for 4 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Gallardo went 5.0 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out two and walking one in an 8-6 defeat to the Padres in his most recent start. Mitch Moreland (.289, 41 Rs, 18 HRs, 68 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Rangers, going 2 for 3 yesterday.
Texas is a slim -111 favorite over Seattle. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at seven runs for this matchup. The Mariners have an overall money line of -1,275 and a record as the underdog of 27-30. Within its division, Seattle has a 17-15 as the underdog and a 30-26 SU. The Mariners have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 6.1 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.0 runs per game. Seattle is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks, earning an average of 3.0 per game.
In games where it is the favorite, Texas has a 16-12 record and an overall money line of +2,448. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games playing as the favorite, and have a 7-3 SU record over the same span. Offensively, they average 4.4 runs per game, which is good for fifth in the AL. Texas’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL at pitching on the road, with a 4.04 ERA.
The Mariners lead the season series, 8-4. The Mariners have a 48-45 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gallardo takes the mound. Elias (LHP) will be on the hill against the Rangers, who have a 23-25 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tex, O/U – Over
Notes
Seattle has won 39% (20-31) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Texas has won 46% (26-31) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Rangers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Mariners have a 10-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 41-18. The Rangers have a 53-9 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 23rd in runs, Seattle has earned 549 this season. Texas ranks ninth with 591 runs.
Seattle and Texas both rank in the top half of the league in walks. Seattle sits at 11th with 403 this season and Texas ranks 14th with 397.
The Mariners are 56-41 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Rangers are 53-26 when they hit at least one homer.
