Yu Darvish is back from injury after a long layoff, and each time he pitches, the Texas Rangers have a great chance at pulling out a victory. The dominant right-hander will aim to silence the Seattle Mariners’ bats when the teams face off on Friday, June 3rd, 2016, at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. Darvish missed more than a year after Tommy John surgery but has demonstrated his old form in his two starts since rejoining the rotation. These two teams are battling for first place in the American League West and the Mariners will hope to edge closer in the standings, but should be the underdog in MLB wagering.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Texas Rangers lead the A.L. West with a record of 35-22 and are one of only three teams with single-digit losses at home in 2016. Texas hopes to keep that success rolling in this showdown with another playoff hopeful. The Rangers have been solid offensively this season, and have a pair of aces atop the rotation in Darvish and Cole Hamels. That combination should keep them in the running for the division title throughout the season. The Mariners are 31-26 but actually have a better run differential at plus-45, which portends well for the rest of the season. Seattle has scored the second-most runs in the American League and is also a team which should be in the hunt for a postseason berth this year.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Yu Darvish is 2-0 in a pair of starts on the season. While it’s a small sample size, he has struck out 10.13 batters per nine innings, elite numbers which are in line with his astonishing career marks. Darvish has a 3.38 ERA but based on his strikeout potential and his excellent control, it should go down as the season goes on as Darvish re-establishes himself as one of the MLB’s top pitchers. The biggest concern is another arm injury, but Darvish has pitched well and hasn’t had any setbacks recently.
The Mariners are slated to counter with right-hander Taijuan Walker, who has long been one of the team’s top prospects and has equipped himself reasonably well this year. Walker is 2-6 on the season with a 3.94 ERA, but needs to decrease his penchant for allowing home runs in order to really see his ERA come down. Walker has star potential and will need to be on his game against a tough Rangers lineup.
LIVE BETTING
The Rangers have a nice mix of veterans and youth among the everyday lineup. Third baseman Adrian Beltre and outfielder Ian Desmond anchor the middle of the order, while youngsters like Jurickson Profar, Nomar Mazara and Rougned Odor add pop around them. Texas designated hitter Prince Fielder has been bad this season and might be a part-time player the rest of the way, but the Rangers have enough hitters to make up for his absence.
The Mariners are led by second baseman Robinson Cano, who is batting .284 with 16 homers and 48 RBIs this season, while Nelson Cruz is hitting .288 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs. Those two and Kyle Seager have been very impressive in the middle of the order, and hope to find success against Darvish. The Mariners’ lineup around them has been up and down, and another player or two will likely need to have a good day in order to scratch across enough runs to knock off the Rangers.
QUICK PICK
Yu Darvish’s return to the mound is a huge boon to the Rangers’ playoff chances. One plus for Seattle is that he’s still making his way back and may be pulled earlier than normal if he’s on a pitch count. The Mariners must try to be patient because if Darvish is in the game for seven or eight innings it won’t be a good sign. In the end, the big advantage in starting pitching and home field should give the Rangers the edge in MLB wagering.
MLB Odds: Rangers 4, Mariners 2
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