Seattle @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2016 ) Seattle 3, Texas 6

The Texas Rangers attempt to further pad their lead in the American League West when they host the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday for the middle contest of their three-game set. Texas posted a 6-3 victory in the series opener to remain 8 1/2 games ahead of Houston and move 9 1/2 in front of Seattle.

Carlos Beltran went 3-for-4 with a homer - just his second in 23 games with the club - and two RBIs as the Rangers recorded their third straight win and AL-high 78th of the season. Seattle gave up the game's first five runs en route to its third consecutive defeat, which dropped it to 1-4 on its seven-game road trip. Despite the slump, the Mariners are only three games behind Baltimore for the second wild-card spot in the AL, but they also have three teams blocking their path to the Orioles. Franklin Gutierrez has collected four RBIs in as many games after delivering a two-run double as a pinch-hitter on Monday.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), FSN Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH James Paxton (4-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Cole Hamels (14-4, 2.67)

Paxton returned from a stint on the disabled list on Thursday and settled for a no-decision against the White Sox in Chicago after allowing three runs and seven hits over five innings. The 27-year-old Canadian was pitching well before being sidelined with an elbow injury, giving up one run three times in four turns while registering a total of 27 strikeouts over 28 1/3 frames in that span. Paxton is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA in five career starts against Texas, including a no-decision on June 11 in which he scattered six hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

Hamels followed up a 7 1/3-inning outing on Aug. 19 at Tampa Bay in which he allowed one run and three hits while fanning out 10 with a performance against Cleveland on Thursday that saw him give up two hits and notch eight strikeouts over eight scoreless frames. The 32-year-old native of San Diego has yielded fewer than three runs in seven of his eight turns since the All-Star break, serving up only three home runs in that stretch. Hamels improved to 5-2 in eight career starts against the Mariners on June 12, when he limited them to one run and four hits over seven innings at Seattle.

WALK-OFFS

1. Beltran's next RBI will be the 1,519th of his career, moving him past Jeff Kent for 53rd place on the all-time list.

2. Acquired from Toronto on Aug. 6, ambidextrous P Pat Venditte made his debut for the Mariners on Monday, allowing an unearned run while registering five strikeouts in three innings.

3. Seattle 2B Robinson Cano is three homers shy of matching the career high of 33 he set in 2012 with the New York Yankees.

PREDICTION: Rangers 6, Mariners 2