James Paxton (0-1, 5.11 ERA) and the Seattle Mariners (4-7) go up against Ross Detwiler (0-2, 9.00 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (5-7) in the last of a three-game division series at Safeco Field. The Mariners won the last game 3-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game starts at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Apr. 19 and will air on FSN-SW and ROOT-NW.
Paxton has a 0.71 ERA and a 1-1 record in his career against the Rangers, and is up against a less-than-stellar Texas offense that’s hitting just .201 on the year. Nelson Cruz (.333, 7 Rs, 6 HRs, 9 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. The Rangers were unsuccessful to the Angels 6-3 the last time Detwiler pitched. He went 5.2 innings, allowing five runs, striking out three and walking four. Mitch Moreland (.259, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBIs) went 1 for 1 yesterday.
Seattle is a -166 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Mariners have a losing record of 2-4 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of -489. They have disappointing records of 2-3 as the favorite and 3-4 SU within their division. Don’t expect the Seattle hitters to swing wildly in their own ballpark. They average only 5.2 strikeouts per home game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Mariners rank second in the AL in home ERA with a 2.25 team average. The Mariners don’t give up many hits to opposing batters at Safeco Field, ranking fourth in the AL with only 6.5 hits allowed per home game.
On the other side, the Rangers have a record of 4-5 when they are the underdog and are +34 overall with the money line. Against divisional rivals, they are 5-6 SU and 4-5 as the underdog.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Seattle is 2-0, while Texas is 2-4.
The Mariners are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Rangers have a 2-5 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Rangers are 2-7. The Mariners have a 2-6 record when opponents outhit them.
Texas ranks near the bottom of the league at 21st when it comes to home runs, hitting nine this season. Seattle ranks in the top five at fourth with 15.
Seattle and Texas both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Seattle sits at 11th with 7.30 hits per game and Texas ranks 12th with 7.18.
Ranking 27th, Texas is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.609). Seattle ranks in the bottom half at 19th with an OPS of .666.
The Rangers are 1-5 when they allow at least one home run. The Mariners perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 1-6 record.
