Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners

The resurgent Seattle Mariners are trying to get back into the race for the AL West title. The perfect way to do that is by taking down the best team currently in the division, the Texas Rangers. A home victory over them is a good start.

The Rangers (47-37) and the Mariners (44-41) opened a four-game series which will end the first-half for both teams and Seattle drew first blood in Safeco Field with a 3-1 victory via Franklin Gutierrez’s three-run homer in the eighth inning.

Gutierrez extended his hit streak to 12 games with two hits in the game that saw the Seattle Mariners shake off an incredibly tough loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday when they allowed Baltimore to score five times in the ninth to turn a 3-0 lead into a 5-3 loss.

Seattle snapped their two-game skid and moved to within 3 1/2 games of the first place Rangers and three games away from the second place Los Angeles Angels.

Gutierrez has powered the Mariners during his 12 game hit streak as he has hit .479 with three home runs and 10 RBIs and he has been solid against the Rangers, with two home runs and six RBIs, even though Seattle won their first against Texas this season on Thursday.

Texas lost a bit of momentum after taking their third series of the year from Los Angeles in Anaheim earlier this week. The Texas Rangers held the lead in the AL West for nearly two months, but toppled back to Earth by losing their hitting stroke. After winning seven of their last nine, the offensive woes seemed to rear its head again as the Rangers managed just three hits.

The Mariners will turn to Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.05) to try to keep the Rangers’ bats cool, but Morrow is still searching for his first victory of the season.

Morrow was moved from the bullpen to the rotation last month and has been decent in his starts, but had not recorded a decision. He allowed three runs on six hits in six innings in an 8-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

Scott Feldman (7-2, 3.91) will toe the rubber for Texas, trying to get back on the winning track and win his second straight game after allowing a run on three hits in six innings of a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

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