Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SEA	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	7	0
TEX	1	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	—	7	11	0

George Kirby (8-8, 3.98 ERA) against Kumar Rocker (3-8, 4.03 ERA) was the pitching matchup on paper, a 1:35 PM CT get-away game between two clubs separated by a game and a half in the AL West race. Kirby had been dealing his last time out, six shutout innings against Cincinnati with 6 strikeouts on just 80 pitches. Rocker had looked just as sharp in his prior start, also six shutout frames with 6 K's against the White Sox.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Mariners(52-54)

WLLLL

3

-1.5+147-117o7.5-111

Rangers(53-52)

LWWLW

7

+1.5-144+115u7.5+113

Best BetMariners -132

Postgame

Kirby got shelled for 4 home runs and 7 earned runs in just 4 innings, and the Mariners moneyline pick was buried early.

Pregame

We backed the Mariners on the moneyline off Kirby's six shutout innings his last time out and Seattle sitting within a game and a half of first place despite the recent skid. The price around -123 reflected a club that still profiled as the better team on paper, even amid an ugly offensive stretch. Texas's own inconsistency at the back of the rotation made this look like fair value on the favorite.

Both rotations were operating around banged-up lineups. Texas has been without shortstop Corey Seager since he went down with a back injury, and third baseman Josh Jung joined him on the shelf with a calf strain, while both catchers on the roster, Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka, have also been out. Seattle's been missing DH Rob Refsnyder and 3B Brendan Donovan as they rehab in Tacoma, and the bullpen is short too with Cooper Criswell, Carlos Vargas and Matt Brash all sidelined. None of it stopped Texas's lineup from doing damage.

George Kirby

(8-9)·3.68 ERA

Jul 20 vs Reds

W

6.0IP

0ER

6K

1BB

80P

07/27 Lineup

Kumar Rocker

(4-9)·4.46 ERA

Jul 21 vs White Sox

W

6.0IP

0ER

6K

2BB

75P

07/27 Lineup

This one got away from Seattle in a hurry. Kirby lasted just 4 innings, getting rocked for 7 earned runs on 4 home runs allowed, and the Rangers were off to the races before Seattle could exhale. Randy Arozarena went deep for Seattle in the 2nd, but it was a solo shot in a game that was already spiraling.

Seattle Mariners

(7)

• 10-Day-ILRob Refsnyder (DH) — Refsnyder (knee) will embark on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday, Tim Booth of The Seattle Times reports.07/17
• 10-Day-ILBrendan Donovan (3B) — Donovan (groin) will shift his rehab assignment to Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.07/17
• 15-Day-ILMatt Brash (RP) — General manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday that Brash was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain in his right lat, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.06/16
• 60-Day-ILCooper Criswell (RP) — Seattle transferred Criswell (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Friday.07/04
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Vargas (RP) — Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday that Vargas (lat) recently began a throwing program and could be ready to return from the 60-day injured list around the Aug. 3 trade deadline, Zac Hereth of 710 AM Seattle Sports reports.06/17
• 60-Day-ILWill Wilson (3B) — Wilson (thumb) has gone 3-for-9 with two RBI and a 1:2 BB:K in his first three rehab games between High-A Everett and Triple-A Tacoma.06/17
• 60-Day-ILLogan Evans (SP) — The Mariners placed Evans (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08

Texas Rangers

(14)

• 10-Day-ILCorey Seager (SS) — Seager (back) said that he completed a "higher-volume" live batting practice session Sunday and will repeat the activity again Monday before likely heading out on a rehab assignment, Matthew Postins of SI.com reports.07/26
• 10-Day-ILJosh Jung (3B) — The Rangers placed Jung on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Wednesday, due to a left calf strain.07/25
• 10-Day-ILKyle Higashioka (C) — Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.07/21
• 10-Day-ILCody Freeman (3B) — Freeman (neck) will begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Monday.07/20
• 10-Day-ILDanny Jansen (C) — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday that Jansen (forearm) is dealing with setbacks that put his return in doubt, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.07/20
• 15-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP) — Leiter (ankle) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session with more intensity Saturday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/24
• 15-Day-ILChris Martin (RP) — The Rangers sent Martin (shoulder) to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment.07/22
• 15-Day-ILJose Corniell (SP) — The Rangers recalled Corniell from Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.07/21
• 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery (SP) — Montgomery (elbow) allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out three over 4.1 innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.07/26
• 60-Day-ILCody Bradford (SP) — Bradford (elbow) struck out four and allowed three hits and no walks across three innings in a rehab start Friday with Double-A Frisco.07/25
• 60-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP) — The Rangers transferred Beeks (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21
• 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF) — Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
• 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
• 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23

Rocker, meanwhile, was every bit as good as his last outing suggested he could be, working 6.2 innings and striking out 7 while allowing just 2 earned runs. With his lineup mashing behind him, that was more than enough support. The result flips the script on Seattle's brief 1-game winning streak and hands the season series edge back to Texas heading into the stretch run before next week's trade deadline, where both clubs have been described as buyers looking to add.

Seattle Mariners

(52-54)

Jul 26W@ Rangers6-4

Jul 25L@ Rangers1-7

Jul 25L@ Rangers4-5

Jul 22Lvs Reds3-5

Jul 22Lvs Reds2-4

Texas Rangers

(53-52)

Jul 26Lvs Mariners4-6

Jul 25Wvs Mariners7-1

Jul 25Wvs Mariners5-4

Jul 23Lvs White Sox2-4

Jul 22Wvs White Sox10-0