The late game for Thursday’s MLB schedule is an important one for the AL West standings. The Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners are tied for second place in the West, entering the game with identical 57-52 records.
Texas is the hotter team entering this pivotal series. The Rangers reeled off six straight wins, sweeping series against the Athletics and Braves. After dropping two of three against the fourth-place Angels, Texas needs to win this four-game series to keep up with the division-leading Astros.
Seattle is heading in the opposite direction. The Mariners have dropped three of their last four, including the past two against the A’s. Can Seattle retake second place in the West with a victory on Thursday? We’ll cover that and three of our favorite prop bets below.
Fans will be tuning in to see the MLB leader for home runs – Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh – step up to the plate in tonight’s contest. Raleigh has followed up his All-Star game heroics with three more deep hits, but none of those came in his previous three outings.
While he’s yet to homer off Texas starting pitcher Kumar Rocker, he has recorded five round-trippers against the remaining Rangers bullpen. There’s little reason to believe he won’t send one out of the park against the Rangers, giving savvy bettors a strong play in this late-night affair.
Looking for someone needing to snap out of a hitting streak? Look no further than Texas right fielder Adolis Garcia. The veteran has struggled while playing for Los Angeles, going 2-of-15 against the Angels’ pitching during the three-game series.
Despite that drought, Garcia has recorded a hit in five of his past six games. To boost bettors’ confidence even more, he’s a career .300 hitter against Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby. Take the 32-year-old veteran to record at least one hit in tonight’s contest.
Kirby has been the model of consistency for the Mariners since returning to action in May. He’s pitched at least six innings in seven of his 10 starts and earned all five of his wins during this stretch.
There’s no reason to believe he won’t accomplish another six-inning outing on Thursday. The Mariners have left Kirby in the game despite giving up four earned runs twice this month already. Although Texas has scored four or more runs in eight straight games, bettors should take the right-handed pitcher to record at least six innings in tonight’s contest.
There are plenty of reasons bettors could wager on the final score. In four of the previous six games these two teams have played, the total score has been eight or more runs. While that is a strong consideration for tonight, I believe there’s a safer wager.
Seattle has struggled lately. Still, the Mariners have won four of their previous five outings with Kirby on the mound. Smart bettors will take Seattle to cover the spread, giving the Mariners sole possession of second place after tonight’s victory.