Bryan Woo is making his first start of the season as the Seattle Mariners (29-28) take on the Texas Rangers (36-20) at Globe Life Field on Saturday. The Rangers took Friday’s series opener 2-0, their third head-to-head victory in four games this season.
Starter Jon Gray threw seven scoreless innings to get the win, and Will Smith earned his 10th save with a scoreless ninth. Corey Seager went 2 for 4 with a double and one RBI in the win. Jonah Heim added one run on one hit. Teoscar Hernandez was 1 for 3 for the Mariners.
ON THE MOUND
Woo is slated to take the mound for Seattle, his season debut. Left-hander Andrew Heaney (4-3, 4.13 ERA) will toe the rubber for Texas. He has made one prior start against the Mariners this season, giving up four runs (3 ER) over 6.2 innings in a 5-0 road defeat on May 9.
He gave up four hits and walked two, while striking out seven in the loss. In his last start on May 27, Heaney got the win on the road against the Orioles. He threw seven innings and gave up one run on four hits, striking out three and walking one in the 5-3 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Seattle has averaged only 2.6 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.4, while performing worse across the board (.182/.250/.291). Against left-handed pitchers like Heaney this season, the M’s have a .666 OPS, third lowest in MLB.
Jarred Kelenic is the team’s best performer against left-handers with a 1.006 OPS in 50 at-bats. Texas is averaging only 4.2 runs per game in the last five, down from 6.2 for the season, with their slugging percentage falling to .395 from .448.
The Rangers have a .771 OPS against righties in 2023, third highest in the league. With a .869 OPS over 164 at-bats, Marcus Semien has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Seattle is 12-13 in away games in 2023, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 4.1 runs. Texas has won four in a row at their home park. The Rangers are 17-8 at home this season, averaging 6.6 runs per game while surrendering 4.2. In the last 10 games between the AL West rivals at Globe Life Field, Seattle is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.4-3.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rangers lead the AL West by two games over the Astros. The Mariners are third in the AL West, seven games behind the Rangers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Texas Rangers (-145)
Want up to a $1K risk-free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information, and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
