Seattle @ Texas preview
Globe Life Park in Arlington
Last Meeting ( Apr 14, 2014 ) Seattle 7, Texas 1
Perhaps all the Seattle Mariners needed was a trip to Texas to spruce up their sagging bats. They'll look to keep the scoreboard busy again on Tuesday in the second contest of the four-game set. After failing to score in the final 17 innings of back-to-back losses to Oakland, Seattle used a six-run sixth inning to break open Monday’s opener and ended up with 12 hits in a 7-1 victory.
Texas - which has scored two or fewer runs in four of its last five games - had just seven hits in the opener, but the slumping bat of Prince Fielder showed some life with two hits. Four different Seattle players had multiple hits and Mike Zunino slugged his third homer, tying for the team lead with Corey Hart and Brad Miller. “We hadn’t been scoring a lot of runs,” Zunino told reporters afterward, “so we wanted to come into this road trip and relax and swing the bats like we know how to.”
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), FSN Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Blake Beavan (2013: 0-2, 6.13 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Robbie Ross (0-0, 1.74)
Beavan will be recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday to fill the rotation spot of James Paxton, who recently was placed on the disabled list. He won 11 games for the Mariners in 2012 but was hit hard in 39 2/3 major-league innings last season and has a 4.61 ERA in parts of three campaigns with Seattle. Beavan is 3-3 with a 2.84 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts) against the Rangers.
Ross has allowed just two earned runs in 10 1/3 innings but hasn’t made it through the sixth in either of his two starts. He allowed an unearned run and two hits over 5 1/3 frames against Boston in his last outing but had command issues and walked six batters. Ross is 0-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 12 appearances – all in relief – against Seattle.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mariners 3B Kyle Seager went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the opener to raise his career average against Texas to .326. He also has eight homers and 27 RBIs in 48 games versus the Rangers.
2. Texas SS Elvis Andrus is just 2-for-15 against Beavan.
3. Seattle RF Logan Morrison (hamstring) left Monday’s game in the first inning and will be re-evaluated Tuesday.
PREDICTION: Rangers 6, Mariners 4