Mike Montgomery (4-4, 3.07 ERA) and Martin Perez (1-2, 6.64 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners (51-59) and the Texas Rangers (54-54) at Safeco Field. The Mariners won the last game 4-3 and Seattle leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 8 and can be seen on RTNW and FSSW.
Montgomery pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out six and walking two in a 3-2 defeat to the Twins. Nelson Cruz (.323, 60 Rs, 32 HRs, 68 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Perez went 8.1 innings, surrendering one run and striking out six in a 2-1 win over the Giants in his most recent start. Mitch Moreland (.290, 37 Rs, 16 HRs, 57 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Rangers, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Seattle is a -125 favorite against Texas and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Mariners have an overall money line of -1,604 and a record as the favorite of 28-36. Within its division, Seattle has a 12-13 record as favorite and a 21-21 record SU. The Mariners have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 4.9 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.7 runs per game. As for the pitchers, opponents have consistently been struck out by the Mariners, who rank fifth in the AL in strikeouts per game with 7.9.
In games where it is the underdog, Texas has a 46-42 record and an overall money line of +1,694. They played solid baseball as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 5-1 record, and a 7-3 record SU. Offensively, the Rangers have really sputtered in division games. They have decreased their season average of 4.5 runs per game by averaging 3.9 in those contests. The Rangers allow 4.8 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.3 runs per game during that span.
The Mariners have controlled the season series, 6-1. The Mariners have a 12-15 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Perez takes the mound. Montgomery (LHP) will be on the hill against the Rangers, who have an 18-22 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Rangers lost by a margin of one run. The Mariners are 22-19 in one-run games. The Rangers have a 20-17 record in close games.
The Mariners are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Rangers have a 3-4 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Rangers are 10-43. The Mariners have a 14-36 record when opponents outhit them.
Seattle and Texas both rank in the top 10 of the league in home runs. Seattle sits at sixth with 126 home runs this season and Texas ranks 10th with 112.
Ranking 11th, Seattle is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.25 per game. Texas ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.69.
Ranking 19th, Seattle is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.704). Texas ranks in the top 10 at 10th with an OPS of .728.
The Rangers are 29-42 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Mariners are 24-49 when they allow at least one homer.
