The Rangers Could Inch Closer In The AL West This Weekend

The Texas Rangers are 5.5 games out of the AL West behind the Seattle Mariners.This weekend, they can make up some of the ground. We’ll discuss each game in our full Rangers vs Mariners betting preview for the series.

The Texas Rangers will visit the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park over the weekend for a three-game series. While plenty of baseball remains on the schedule, this series will tell us a lot about who will win the AL West this season.

The Mariners are 40-31 on the season and the only team with a winning record in the MLB American League West. However, the Rangers are getting closer to .500 and have played three fewer games than the Mariners this year.

Texas can still find the magic that led them to become World Series Champions last year, especially if Corey Seager continues to climb up the MLB MVP odds board.

• In Game 1 of this series, the Mariners are -135 favorites, with the total at 7. However, the Over is up to -118 at this time.

Brock Burke Is Back!

About two months after he punched a dugout wall in frustration, Brock Burke is back in the Texas bullpen.

The lefty deliver was reinstated off the 60-day injured list, and Texas optioned Grant Anderson to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Burke had a 1.97 ERA in 2022, but his ERA jumped to 4.37 in 2023. He’ll be one of two lefty options out of the bullpen. That’s big news for the Rangers.

Brock Burke, who went on the IL mid-April after breaking his hand punching a metal door, has been activated!

Grant Anderson and Derek Hill have been sent to AAA Round Rock.

Welcome back, Brock! pic.twitter.com/vbZioFIgF9

— Rangers Nation ⚾️ (@rangers__nation) June 13, 2024

Bryan Woo Will Be OK

Less than a week ago, Bryan Woo was scratched from his start and had an MRI on his right arm instead.

The Mariners feared the worst, but the MRI came back clean. Woo still has some discomfort, but there are no major issues. When he’s feeling ready, he can resume his throwing program and get back into Seattle’s rotation sometime next week during the Mariners’ road trip.

Rangers vs Mariners Betting Preview & Odds For Game 1:

RL: Mariners -1.5 (+135) ML: Mariners -135, O/U: 7 -118/-102

The Rangers will roll with lefty Andrew Heaney in the series’ first game. Heaney is 2-7 but still has a respectable 4.06 ERA.

Heaney has struggled more against righties over the last 30 days as a lefty. He’s allowed a .206 ISO and wOBA of .362 to his previous 72 righties. In addition, he’s only struck out 19.4% of righties and has earned just 27.8% of ground balls against them.

While Heaney has struggled, the Mariners have as well. Over the last month, the projected lineup has hit a .132 ISO and wOBA of .254 against lefties. The lineup has also struck out 25% of the time. Therefore, Heaney could improve his numbers against this struggling Mariners offense.

On the other hand, Luis Castillo will get the call for the Mariners. Castillo’s strikeout rate has dipped to 24.8% after only earning 17.4% of strikeouts over the last 30 days.

Castillo has struggled with strikeouts against lefties and has allowed an ISO of .224 and wOBA of .359 to his last 67 righties. It hasn’t been the prettiest month for Castillo, who still has a 3.35 ERA.

With those numbers, sustaining an ERA of 3.35 will be hard.

• Consider backing the Rangers as underdogs at +124 in tonight’s showdown.

Saturday’s matchup should be a thrilling pitching matchup. Nathan Eovaldi will take the hill for the Rangers. He’s already holding a 2.68 ERA on the season.

Eovaldi has limited walks to 1.6% over the last 30 days and has held teams to a .259 wOBA. While he occasionally allows some power, it’s rarely with anyone on base.

He’ll take on a Mariners lineup that strikes out just as much as they strike out against lefties. There might be a little more power out of Seattle against righties, but against Eovaldi, it’s hard to imagine big days from that Seattle lineup.

Eovaldi will face George Kirby, who has had an up-and-down year. Kirby was expected to break out this season, but he’s only got a 3.81 ERA. While to many, that’s a sound ERA, by Kirby’s standards, this isn’t good. After all, Kirby has allowed a .300 ISO and wOBA of .424 to his last 53 lefties.

Therefore, Corey Seager could be the X-factor in this game. We’ll back the Rangers in Game 2 when the MLB scores and odds come out on Saturday.

The weakest link in Texas’ rotation is Dane Dunning. Eventually, he won’t be in the starting rotation once Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer return. Those two could be potential MLB leaders in many categories in the second half of the season, not Dunning. He’s giving Texas some innings and allowing them a chance to win when he’s on the mound.

Dunning has struggled badly against lefties, allowing them an ISO of .289 and wOBA of .385 this season. However, the only lefties doing damage against righties over the last 30 days are Luke Raley and J.P. Crawford. That’s more encouraging for Dunning.

On the other hand, Seattle will give the ball to Logan Gilbert. He’s got a 3.19 ERA but only three wins on the season. Still, Gilbert has also limited walks to 1.6% and has held teams to a .296 wOBA with 45.5% of grounders over the last 30 days. That should be more than enough to keep the Rangers off-balanced.

We’d back the Under to close out this Rangers vs Mariners betting preview.

For baseball scores, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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