Vidal Nuno (0-3, 3.30 ERA) and Martin Perez (2-4, 5.07 ERA) start in the third of a four-game series between the Seattle Mariners (66-73) and the Texas Rangers (73-64) at Safeco Field. The Rangers won the last game 9-6 and Texas leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Sep. 9 and can be seen on RTNW and FSSW.
Nuno pitched 0.0 inning in his last outing, surrendering zero runs in a 3-2 defeat to the Athletics. Nelson Cruz (.310, 77 Rs, 39 HRs, 82 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Perez went 6.0 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out three and walking four in a 5-2 defeat to the Angels in his most recent start. Mitch Moreland (.287, 42 Rs, 19 HRs, 69 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
The odds for Seattle and Texas are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at eight runs. Within its division, Seattle has a record of 31-27 SU. The Mariners have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.4 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.0 runs per game.
The Rangers are 22-31 against fellow AL West members. Offensively, the Rangers have really sputtered in division games. They have decreased their season average of 4.4 runs per game by averaging 3.9 in those contests. Texas is excellent at drawing walks with 3.0 per game, ranking fifth in the AL. Texas’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL at pitching on the road, with a 4.01 ERA.
The Mariners lead the season series, 8-6. The Mariners have an 18-26 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Perez takes the mound.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, O/U – Over
Notes
Seattle recorded at least two errors for the 13th time this season.
The Mariners managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rangers who are coming in with a 30-15 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Mariners, as the Rangers have won their last two games while the Mariners have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 41-20. The Rangers have a 53-9 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 24th in runs, Seattle has earned 555 this season. Texas ranks ninth with 603 runs.
Seattle and Texas both rank in the top half of the league in walks. Seattle sits at 13th with 407 this season and Texas ranks 14th with 405.
The Mariners are 56-42 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Rangers are 54-26 when they hit at least one homer.
