Martin Perez (3-4, 3.12 ERA) and Nathan Karns (5-1, 3.43 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (32-22) and the Seattle Mariners (31-23) at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won the last game 7-3, and Texas leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 9:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 4 and can be seen on FSSW and RTNW.
Perez pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs, striking out three and walking one in a 6-2 win over the Pirates. Nomar Mazara (.305, 24 Rs, 9 HRs, 25 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two runs and one RBI. Karns went 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out six and walking one in a 9-3 win over the Padres in his most recent start. Kyle Seager (.299, 34 Rs, 10 HRs, 39 RBIs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
The odds for Texas and Seattle are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. Within its division, Texas has a record of 14-14 SU. The Rangers have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in home offense with 5.3 runs per game. Texas’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Rangers, who lead the AL in strikeouts per game with 6.9.
The Mariners are 15-10 against AL West rivals. Offensively, they average 0.0 runs per game, which is good for fourth in the AL. The Mariners are tough outs for opponents, ranking third in the AL with 9.8 hits per road game. The Mariners 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 Rangers lead the season series, 4-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA
Notes
Seattle has won 60% (15-10) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Texas has won 64% (16-9) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Mariners managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rangers who are heading in with a 6-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 25-5. The Rangers have a 19-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking seventh in runs, Texas has earned 257 this season. Seattle ranks fourth with 281 runs.
Ranking 26th, Texas is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 139 this season. Seattle ranks in the top half at 12th with 179.
The Rangers are 25-13 when they hit at least one home run. The Mariners perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 27-15 record.
