Cole Hamels (14-4, 2.67 ERA) and James Paxton (4-5, 3.63 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (78-54) and the Seattle Mariners (68-63) at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won the last game 6-3, and Texas leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 30 and can be seen on FSSW and RTNW.
Hamels pitched 8.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering zero runs and striking out eight in a 9-0 win over the Indians. Carlos Beltran (.292, 60 Rs, 25 HRs, 75 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 3 for 4 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Paxton went 5.0 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking one in a 7-6 defeat to the White Sox in his most recent start. Robinson Cano (.301, 85 Rs, 30 HRs, 82 RBIs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 yesterday.
Texas is a -142 favorite against Seattle and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Rangers have recorded an overall money line of +2,833 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 38-20. Texas is an impressive 5-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games.
In games where it is the underdog, Seattle has a 30-31 record and an overall money line of -165. They are 11-12 as the underdog against AL West rivals, and 23-28 SU. Offensively, they average four runs per game on the road, which is third in the AL. The Mariners are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the AL with 9.1 hits per road game. Seattle is excellent at drawing walks with 3.0 per game, ranking fifth in the AL.
The Rangers have controlled the season series, 9-4. The Rangers have a 19-17 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Paxton takes the mound. Hamels (LHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 20-28 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TEX, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Texas is 36-27, while Seattle is 29-30.
The Mariners are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Rangers have a 38-34 record when opponents give up two walks or less.
When they are outhit, the Mariners are 15-44. The Rangers have a 20-41 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking ninth in home runs, Texas has hit 170 this season. Seattle ranks fourth with 178 home runs.
Texas and Seattle both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Texas sits at seventh with 8.86 hits per game and Seattle ranks ninth with 8.79.
Texas and Seattle both rank in the top half of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Texas sits at 12th with an OPS of .749, and Seattle ranks 11th with an OPS of .753.
When the Mariners allow at least one home run, they are 45-51. When the Rangers allow one or more homers, they have a 46-44 record.
