Taijuan Walker (2-4, 2.70 ERA) starts for the Seattle Mariners (28-20) as they square off against Ricky Nolasco (1-3, 5.54 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (14-34) in the last of a three-game series at Safeco Field. The Twins won the last game 6-5, and Minnesota leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 29 and can be seen on FSN and RTNW.
Walker pitched 7.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering five, striking out six and walking one in a 5-0 defeat to the Athletics. Robinson Cano (.293, 32 Rs, 14 HRs, 43 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Nolasco went 2.2 innings, surrendering six runs, striking out three and walking two in a 10-4 defeat to the Royals in his most recent start. Eduardo Nunez (.333, 20 Rs, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs, 8 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Twins, going 4 for 5 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and one RBI.
The odds for Seattle and Minnesota are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Mariners have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Opposing batters know they’re in for a battle when they play Seattle. The Mariners are one of the top teams when it comes to pitching, allowing just 0.0 runs per game. The Mariners are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.190 so far this season.
Offensively, the Twins have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. Minnesota is excellent at not striking out on the road with an AL-low 10.6 per game. The Twins allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
The Twins have the edge in the season series, 2-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Seattle is 13-10, while Minnesota is 7-12.
The Twins managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Mariners who are heading in with a 17-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Twins are 5-28. The Mariners have a 4-15 record when opponents outhit them.
Minnesota ranks in the bottom half of the league at 19th when it comes to home runs, hitting 49 this season. Seattle ranks in the top five with 68.
Ranking 19th, Minnesota is in the bottom half of the league in hits, notching 8.12 per game. Seattle ranks in the top half at 14th with 8.71.
Ranking 26th, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.688). Seattle ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .762.
The Twins are 10-26 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Mariners are 19-15 when they allow at least one homer.
