Wandy Rodriguez (0-0, 1.80 ERA) and Felix Hernandez (3-0, 1.61 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (7-13) and the Seattle Mariners (9-11) at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Mariners won the last game 2-1 and Seattle leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Apr. 29 and can be seen on ROOT-NW and FSN-SW.
Rodriguez pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out five and walking three in a 3-2 defeat to the Angels. Prince Fielder (.350, 7 Rs, 1 HR, 10 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Hernandez is 13-21 with a 3.95 ERA against the Rangers in his career. He takes on a below-average Texas offense that’s batting just .212. Nelson Cruz (.329, 12 Rs, 9 HRs, 21 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Mariners, going 3 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Seattle takes on Texas as a -178 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Rangers have recorded an overall money line of -305 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 6-10. Texas has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 5-9 and 6-11 as the underdog and SU respectively.
In games where it is the favorite, Seattle has a 6-8 record and an overall money line of -612. They are 5-5 as the favorite against teams in their division, and 7-6 SU.
The Mariners lead the season series, 4-1. The Rangers have a 5-7 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hernandez takes the mound.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Mariners won by a margin of one run. The Rangers are 1-3 in one-run games. The Mariners have a 5-2 record in close games.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Rangers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Mariners have a 5-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
It looks like the Mariners have a slight leg up on the Rangers, as the Mariners have won their last two games while the Rangers have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 4-2. The Rangers have a 4-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total runs this season, Texas ranks 22nd with 73 runs and Seattle is 23rd with 72.
Ranking 25th, Seattle is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 49 this season. Texas ranks in the top half at 13th with 64.
When the Rangers hit at least one home run, they are 5-3. When the Mariners hit at least one homer, they have an 8-6 record.
