Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners
SEATTLE (Interstat) — The Texas Rangers look to continue their recent dominance over the Seattle Mariners when the American League West rivals meet Saturday at T-Mobile Park.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT under cloudy skies with temperatures around 55 degrees.
The Rangers (10-9) have won four straight against the Mariners (8-12) this season, including a 2-0 victory in Friday’s series opener. Seattle has been shut out in three of those four losses.
Texas will send right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (2-2) to the mound. He will be opposed by Seattle right-hander George Kirby (2-2).
A key player for Texas is third baseman Josh Jung, who is coming off a 3-for-5 performance with a home run and two RBIs in Thursday’s 9-6 win at Oakland. Jung is 7 for 19 (.368) with four RBIs in his last five games.
For Seattle, a player to watch is right-hander Luis Castillo, who allowed one earned run over 5 1/3 innings in a loss at San Diego on Thursday. His season has been inconsistent, highlighted by a six-inning, two-hit shutout performance against the New York Yankees on March 30.
Despite Texas’ head-to-head success, statistical models are split on the outcome. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-3 Rangers victory, while its ELO rating system gives the Mariners a 55.4% probability to win. Seattle is a pregame favorite of 1.5 runs, and the over/under is set at 7.
The Rangers are 5-5 over their last 10 games. The Mariners have lost three straight and are 3-7 in their last 10.
Following Saturday’s contest, the series concludes Sunday before Texas returns home to face Pittsburgh and Seattle hosts Oakland.