This Friday the (61-52) Seattle Mariners and the (49-61) Texas Rangers will play their first game of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 8:05 PM EST inside Globe Life Field. This is also the fifth series between these two teams this regular season, as they are becoming very familiar with one another. The Mariners swept the Rangers in their last three-game series.
The Seattle Mariners are coming into this one after winning their series against the New York Yankees. The Mariners were lights out in the field and on the mound, as they made it very difficult for the Yankees at the dish. They will need their defense and pitching to stay top-notch if they want to take care of business on the road.
The Texas Rangers are entering this series after battling with the Houston Astros. They were able to squeak out a win in game two, as they exploded at the plate. They scored eight ru ns, as the Astros just couldn't keep up on the scoreboard. They will need to carry that momentum into this one.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Seattle Mariners continue to stack wins in the second half of this season, as they are currently (6-4) in their last 10 and they are still in second place in the AL West, as they are 10.5 games out of first place. At the plate, the Mariners have had issues, though. They are currently scoring 4.05 runs per game and they are hitting .231 as a team. This is the 23rd least amount of runs scored per game and the 25th lowest overall team batting average. They have failed to consistently reach base, as this has made it much more difficult to score. They have also stranded a lot of base runners while they were in scoring position. They must be more clutch at the plate when they have men on base. Luckily Seattle realized that they had a ton of home run power inside their batting lineup. They are averaging 1.12 bombs per game, which is the 14th most in the league. They can score multiple different ways, as they are not one-dimensional at the plat e. I also expect the Mariners to stay fairly conservative once they have reached base safely. They have already stolen 57 bases this season, which is the 16th most in the league. They will do whatever it takes to keep pushing their base runners closer to home plate.
In the field, the Mariners have been one of the best teams in the league. They are sure-handed in the infield and they have enough speed in the outfield to make the majority of their plays. They are currently allowing 3.92 runs per game and they have the highest overall team fielding percentage. They keep everything in front of themselves and they always know where to go to get the nearest out. They have only committed 39 errors this season, as well. This is the least amount of errors recorded this season, as they have done a great job of backing up their starting pitchers.
According to MLB.com, the Mariners will start George Kirby on the mound. He is currently (3-3) with a 3 .40 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He has looked solid over his last few starts, as well. He pitched for 6.0 innings and only allowed one earned run, as he completely shut down the Angels the last time he was on the mound.