The Texas Rangers head to Seattle on Friday night to open a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners, with both clubs still searching for early-season consistency. Texas enters the matchup coming off a dramatic late comeback win, while Seattle is trying to steady itself after a recent sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres. With two high-profile right-handers on the mound, this Rangers vs Mariners game could come down to which starter is the most effective on the bump.
Rangers vs Mariners Pick
Pick: Mariners ML
Confidence: 4 out of 5
Game Snapshot
Matchup: Texas Rangers vs Seattle Mariners
Date & Time: Friday, April 17, 9:40 PM
Starting Pitchers: Jacob deGrom vs Logan Gilbert
Stadium: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
Broadcast: MLB.tv
Key Storylines
Texas rallied with a four-run ninth inning in its last game, showing late-game offensive capability that they will try to carry into this contest.
Seattle continues to struggle to produce consistent scoring, which was a problem for them in their sweep against the Padres.
This is the first game of a key divisional series that could shape the positioning for both teams in the AL West. Texas is tied for first place in the AL West entering the weekend, while Seattle is tied for the bottom spot in the division.
Pitching Matchup
Jacob deGrom enters with a 2.87 ERA and strong strikeout numbers, limiting hitters to a sub .200 average so far this season.
Logan Gilbert carries a 4.18 ERA with a 1-2 record and has allowed more consistent contact than deGrom thus far.
deGrom has recorded 22 strikeouts in just over 15 innings this season.
Key Players
Brandon Nimmo is hitting above .300 and is setting the tone at the top of the Texas lineup.
Corey Seager leads Texas in home runs with five and remains a power threat despite a modest average.
Jake Burger leads the Rangers in RBI production with 16.
Luke Raley has been Seattle’s most productive hitter with a team-best .328 average, four home runs, and 12 RBI.
Recent Team Streaks
The Mariners have lost three straight games going into this contest.
Texas has lost two of its last three games entering this series opener from Seattle.
Betting Trends & H2H
Texas has won the last three head-to-head meetings between these teams this season.
Texas is 9-8-2 to the over heading into this contest.
The under is 11-9 in Mariners games so far this year.
Rangers vs Mariners Model Projection
Score Projection: Rangers 4 - Mariners 5
Win Probability: Rangers 48%, Mariners 52%
Both starting pitchers in this game have the potential to be great in any given matchup. I think this one will come down to whether or not Gilbert can step things up after a slow start by his standards. I do think that we will see him pitch better than he has of late, which should help the Mariners to snap their three-game losing streak. I'll take the Mariners to get the job done at home in what should be a tight contest from the Pacific Northwest.
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