10:10 pm
May 28

Rangers @ Mariners

Who will WIN this matchup?

Texas Rangers (22-30)

@ Seattle Mariners (24-27)

 

Starting Pitchers:

Lyles (TEX): 2-3; 5.94 ERA

Sheffield (SEA) 3-4; 5.11 ERA

 

Current odds:

Texas Rangers: (+110)

Seattle Mariners: (-120)

 

• Nines are wild for the Texas Rangers. And not in a good way. The Rangers have lost nine consecutive road games, dating to May 6 in Minnesota, following a 5-0 loss to the host Seattle Mariners on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game set. Texas also has lost nine in a row at T-Mobile Park. Its last victory in the Emerald City came on July 23, 2019.

• The Rangers will try to snap both streaks when they send right-hander Jordan Lyles (2-3, 5.94 ERA) to the mound Friday against Mariners left-hander Justus Sheffield (3-4, 5.11).

• Lyles is 1-4 with a 6.48 ERA in nine career appearances against Seattle, including seven starts. Sheffield is 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA in four games against Texas, with three starts.

• Sheffield started against the Rangers on May 9 in Arlington, Texas, and suffered a 10-2 defeat. He went five innings and allowed seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits, with no walks and five strikeouts.

• Thursday’s loss bothered Woodward on a number of levels. After giving up 20 runs over their previous two games, both losses, the Rangers were facing the American League’s worst-hitting team. And they were facing a pitcher in right-hander Chris Flexen who had been hammered by San Diego in his previous start, getting knocked out after allowing eight earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

• Woodward was referring to the Mariners’ Nos. 7-9 hitters — Tom Murphy, Jacob Nottingham and Jack Mayfield — who entered Thursday’s game batting a combined .119. They combined to reach base seven times.

• Murphy and Nottingham launched back-to-back homers leading off the bottom of the third inning. Mayfield hit a two-run double in the seventh as Seattle scored three times to pull away.

• The Rangers felt good about their chances against Flexen after scoring four runs on 10 hits against him over 6 1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss at home on May 7.

• The Mariners have won three of their past four games after a season-worst six-game skid. They also improved to 20-8 when scoring four or more runs this season. It was the offensive boost from Murphy, Nottingham and Mayfield that pleased manager Scott Servais.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Seattle Mariners
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