Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers Prediction, Picks and Preview – August 18, 2015

The Texas Rangers (60-57) successfully stretched their unbeaten run to five after defeating the Seattle Mariners (55-64), 4-3, during their series opener last night. The Rangers will definitely be looking to impose their will again for the second encounter of their three-game set at Globe Life Park.  Can they do it? Or will the Mariners find a way to put their flame out? Read on below for a comprehensive preview of this AL West collision.

And by the way, you can satisfy your baseball cravings further with our in-depth breakdown between the Tigers and Cubs.
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Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers Preview

Where: Globe Life Park in Arlington, Arlington, TX

When:  Tuesday, August 18, 8:05 PM ET

Line: Seattle Mariners (-131) vs. Texas Rangers (+121); total: 9.0 —View all MLB Lines

Betting on the Seattle Mariners

[sc:MLB240banner ]Mariners sluggers Nelson Cruz (.321) and Franklin Gutierrez (.310) have been on fire this month. Cruz, who boasts an MLB-best of 36 homers thus far this year, has gone 12-for-39 with five homers and seven RBIs over his previous 10 contests.  Meanwhile, Gutierrez is batting .435 with four home runs and 10 RBIs to his name across nine games in August.

Having these two at the plate will certainly remove some of the pressure off Hisashi Iwakuma (4-2, 3.86 ERA), who gets the nod tonight against the Texas Rangers.

Iwakuma’s been on a tear lately, going 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA over his last seven starts. That stretch includes his most recent outing versus the Orioles on August 12, during which he tossed a no-hitter through nine frames for the 3-0 victory. He is now the first American League pitcher to deliver a no-hitter since Felix Hernandez tossed a perfect game in 2012.

Furthermore, he looks to be on track in continuing his strong run later this evening, as he holds a 7-3 record with a 3.50 ERA throughout 13 career games (12 starts) opposite the Rangers. Iwakuma has struggled in his matchups with Texas’ Adrian Beltre and Rougned Odor, who are batting .333 and .375 respectively off the Mariners’ starter.

Seattle is 6-1 in its last seven games with Iwakuma starting.

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Betting on the Texas Rangers

After emerging victorious in Game 1 last night, the Texas Rangers put themselves in a better position to nab the final wild card slot in the American League away from the Orioles, who are now clinging on just a one-game lead. The Rangers will have another chance to inch much closer when they send Chi Chi Gonzalez (2-4, 4.22 ERA) to start against the Seattle Mariners.

Gonzalez hasn’t been able to find his way through his previous six starts, during which he is 0-4 with a 6.03 ERA and has surrendered a total of 23 earned runs in 34 1/3 frames. The 23-year-old righty has been almost as bad in home games this season with a 1-2 record and a 5.91 ERA. Gonzalez is still searching for his first win since June 5 versus Kansas City, wherein he logged in nine shutout innings to pick up the 4-0 triumph.

With Gonzalez likely to stay on a regression, Texas will have to muster all the runs they can to keep their impressive five-game winning streak alive. To lead the offensive charge is the combo of Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland. Fielder boasts a team-best .324 batting average and has gone 4-for-13 in his last four outings. Moreland, meanwhile, is 7-for-15 in the same stretch and is hitting .383 with 10 RBIs in August.

Texas is 2-3 in Gonzalez’s previous five turns.

Writer’s Prediction:

Seattle (-131) wins, 4-1, thanks to another solid pitching performance from Iwakuma.
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