Derek Holland (0-1, 9.00 ERA) and Mike Montgomery (4-5, 4.14 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (60-58) and the Seattle Mariners (56-64) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Mariners won the last game 3-2 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 2:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 19 and can be seen on RTNW, FSSW and MLBN.
Holland pitched 1.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run in a 5-1 defeat to the Astros. Rougned Odor (.280, 35 Rs, 9 HRs, 40 RBIs, 5 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Montgomery went 2.1 innings, surrendering nine runs, striking out one and walking one in a 15-1 defeat to the Red Sox in his last outing. Nelson Cruz (.321, 67 Rs, 36 HRs, 75 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Texas is a -126 favorite against Seattle and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +1,822 and a record as the favorite of 11-12. Texas is an impressive 3-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Rangers have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in offense with 4.5 runs per game. The Rangers are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits at home with an impressive 9.1 per game. Texas is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks at home, earning an average of 3.2 per game. Texas’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 5.3 against fellow AL West members, compared to its 4.8 season average.
In games where it is the underdog, Seattle has a 24-26 record and an overall money line of -1,536. They are 10-9 as the underdog against AL West opponents, and 23-23 SU. The Mariners allow 4.5 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 7.3 runs per game during that span.
The Mariners have controlled the season series, 8-3. The Rangers have a 20-22 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Montgomery takes the mound. Holland (LHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 14-19 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tex, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Mariners won by a margin of one run. The Rangers are 22-19 in one-run games. The Mariners have a 24-21 record in close games.
The Rangers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Mariners have a 21-35 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Rangers are 12-45. The Mariners have a 15-41 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling in the top 10 of the league based on total home runs this season, Texas ranks 10th with 123 homers and Seattle is sixth with 140.
Ranking 11th, Seattle is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.34 per game. Texas ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.79.
Ranking 17th, Seattle is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.707). Texas ranks in the top half at 11th with an OPS of .732.
When the Mariners allow at least one home run, they are 27-53. When the Rangers allow one or more homers, they have a 31-45 record.
