Texas Rangers (66-87) vs. Seattle Mariners (83-70)
Thursday’s MLB betting action brings the AL West showdown from T-Mobile Park in Seattle with the first pitch at 9:40 PM ET. The Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners wrap up their 19-game regular-season set with a three-game series finale, so let’s take a closer look.
The Rangers have won just five of their first 17 contests against the Mariners including a 5-0 victory in the opening clash of this set. Wednesday’s middle game has been excluded from the analysis, while the Mariners open as slim -118 moneyline favorites for Thursday’s battle.
The Texas Rangers kept the Mariners scoreless last Tuesday despite opting for a bullpen day. Six guys combined for seven strikeouts and yielded just five hits and five walks, while third baseman Josh Jung went 3-for-4 with a couple of homers and five RBI.
The Rangers have struggled at the plate for most of September, racking up a .229/.291/.383 slash line with 28 home runs and 38 extra-base hits across 804 at-bats. On the pitching side of things, they’ve amassed a troublesome 4.78 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and .263 opposing batting average through 209 innings of work this month.
Have another, Jung man! #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/pvD1sYq5Mp
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 28, 2022
Jon Gray will toe the rubber Thursday at T-Mobile Park. The 30-year-old righty is 7-7 with a solid 3.64 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 126/36 K/BB ratio in 22 starts (116.1 innings pitched) in 2022. He hasn’t emerged victorious since July 21, posting a 0-3 record with a 4.35 ERA and 3.80 FIP in his last five starts.
After spending six weeks on the IL, Gray rejoined the Rangers’ rotation on September 12. Last Friday, he pitched very well in a no-decision against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing one unearned run on a hit and a walk across five frames of work.