Keagan Smith gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today\u2019s game between the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers on Monday\u2019s MLB slate.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re officially entering the third week of the MLB season, meaning we\u2019re beginning to see statistical blips turn into trends as the sport\u2019s pecking order comes into full focus. There\u2019s an AL West showdown on deck for Monday night as the Texas Rangers (4-5) and Seattle Mariners (4-6) meet at T-Mobile Park for game one of this three-night set. With these rivals set to square off, there\u2019s plenty of good baseball in store this Monday. <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a betting prediction and pick for tonight\u2019s Mariners vs. Rangers matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.<\/p>\n
Mariners vs. Rangers prediction, preview<\/p>\n
Seattle Mariners<\/p>\n
The Mariners are supposed to be one of the best teams in the entire sport, but they haven\u2019t looked like it just yet. They won their opening series but have dropped two since to the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels, only one of which is truly excusable. There\u2019s hope beyond just saying that it\u2019s early, though. While Seattle has an OPS of just .631 and the third-lowest AVG at .198, the team still averages 3.70 runs per game. That scoring mark isn\u2019t great, but it could certainly be a lot worse and the Mariners still have an OBP of .302, so they\u2019re not the worst in the sport there. They\u2019ve hit nine homers and are fifth in barrel rate, though they\u2019re second-to-last in hard hit rate and average exit velo. Still, a BB\/K of 0.41 is perfectly fine, so the bats should find more juice eventually. That\u2019s especially true with Josh Naylor, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez all at an OBP of .250 or lower. The arms are dealing, producing the fourth-best ERA at 2.72 and second-best WHIP at 0.94. Seattle is also third in K% and first in BB%, so there\u2019s plenty of reason for optimism.<\/p>\n
Texas Rangers<\/p>\n
Perhaps the Rangers aren\u2019t ready to take over the division just yet. After winning their first two series of the season, they were swept in the opening homestand by the Cincinnati Reds and have now lost four straight games. That\u2019s quite the bummer for momentum heading into the first series of the year against a division opponent, but it\u2019s never too late to shake off this little slump. Texas averages 4.00 runs per game and has a respectable .690 OPS, slashing .237\/.299\/.391 to get there. While 10th in ISO at .155 and having belted 10 homers while leading the ML with a 46.7% hard hit rate and 90.9 mph average exit velocity, the scoring outputs just haven\u2019t been all that impressive for this roster. Perhaps the second-worst BB\/K ratio at 0.29 is to blame for that. The good news is that the pitchers haven\u2019t been bad by any means, logging a 3.60 ERA and 1.23 WHIP to go along with a 19.1% K-BB%. The Rangers are one of nine teams with a double-digit K\/9 mark as well.<\/p>\n
Tonight\u2019s starting pitchers<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a fantastic pitcher\u2019s duel on tap here as Logan Gilbert and Jacob deGrom battle.<\/p>\n
For the Mariners, RHP Logan Gilbert makes his second start, He allowed three earned runs in his first outing and five in his second, making for an elevated 6.75 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP. However, we saw just how effective he can be over the last couple of seasons and had a 3.44 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP in 2025, striking out 173 hitters in 131 IP. This slow start seems like a blip.<\/p>\n
The Rangers give the ball to deGrom, the fireballing RHP who opened his season with an atypical performance of three earned runs on six allowed hits and a homer, though he struck out seven batters in that one. Last year, he delivered a 2.97 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 185 punchouts in 172.2 IP, finishing with a 98th-percentile grade in pitching run value.<\/p>\n
Mariners vs. Rangers pick, best bet<\/p>\n
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Rangers as -118 ML favorites, though the Mariners aren\u2019t far behind at -102 odds. The run total sits at eight combined runs between these sides.<\/p>\n