Yu Darvish (4-3, 2.91 ERA) and Hisashi Iwakuma (14-9, 3.81 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (77-54) and the Seattle Mariners (68-62) at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 29 and can be seen on FSSW, RTNW and ESPN.
Darvish pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering five runs (two unearned), striking out five and walking five in a 6-5 win over the Reds. Carlos Beltran (.288, 58 Rs, 24 HRs, 73 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Iwakuma went 6.0 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out three and walking two in a 5-0 defeat to the Yankees in his last outing. Robinson Cano (.298, 85 Rs, 30 HRs, 82 RBIs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
The odds for Texas and Seattle are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. Within its division, Texas has a record of 32-19 SU.
The Mariners are 23-27 against AL West rivals. Offensively, they average four runs per game on the road, which is third in the AL. The Mariners are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the AL with 9.1 hits per road game. Seattle is excellent at drawing walks with 3.1 per game, ranking fifth in the AL.
The Rangers lead the season series, 8-4. The Rangers have a 58-37 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Iwakuma takes the mound. Darvish (RHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 48-34 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Texas is 35-27, while Seattle is 29-29.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Mariners are going to have to step it up if they want to win this matchup. The Rangers have a 19-0 record in games where opponents scored one run or less.
When they are outhit, the Mariners are 15-43. The Rangers have a 20-41 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking ninth in home runs, Texas has hit 169 this season. Seattle ranks fourth with 178 home runs.
Texas and Seattle both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Texas sits at sixth with 8.89 hits per game and Seattle ranks ninth with 8.81.
Ranking 12th, Texas is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.749). Seattle ranks in the top 10 with an OPS of .755.
When the Mariners allow at least one home run, they are 45-50. When the Rangers allow one or more homers, they have a 46-44 record.
