M’s vs Rangers Baseball Picks
This little AL West tilt has some intriguing individuals to investigate. Interestingly, the intrigue includes others than just Seattle free-agent investment Robbie Cano.
Date/Time: Monday, April 14 2014, 8 pm EST
Venue: Globe Life Park, Arlington TX
Seattle, Texas (no odds listed yet)
Pitching Match-up: Roenis Elias (0-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Robbie Ross (0-0, 1.74 ERA)
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When the Mariners (6-4) made the investment to sign the former Yankees second baseman, most people wondered just how well Cano would play (a) in the pitcher-friendly home confines of Safeco Field; and (b) without the protection of the Yankees’ lineup.
It’s safe to say that Cano is a stud no matter whose dugout he sits in. He only has four RBI on the young season, but his .316 average and .409 on-base proves that he’s a respected commodity in the M’s batting order.
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What’s interesting about Seattle though, is the contributions from other unpredicted sources so far.
Much maligned Dustin Ackley has been hitting over .300 with several RBIs; 1B Justin Smoak got off to a really hot start, grabbing nine RBI in a hurry (he’s cooled off some lately); SS Brad Miller leads the team with three home runs.
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The Mariners sit 10th in the majors in slugging percentage, all the while playing in a notorious pitcher’s haven. If Seattle – a team usually starved for run production – could sustain that, it would go far to help the team contend in the AL West.
Let’s not forget that dominant ace “King” Felix Hernandez takes the rubber every fifth day, and he’s been his usual self to start 2014.
The Rangers (5-6) are still finding their form whilst dealing with a slate of injuries. Run-producing 3B Adrian Beltre has been battling a leg ailment. The pitching rotation has been riding out injuries to key contributors like Matt Harrison and Joe Saunders (15-day DL) as well as Derek Holland (60-day DL).
Even starting catcher Geovany Soto and promising 2B Jurickson Profar are out for the forseeable future. It means Texas has been forced to patch together a less-than-optimal lineup.
Still, the Rangers have their own Cy Young candidate in Yu Darvish and a couple key boppers around to keep things afloat (1B Prince Fielder, OFs Alex Rios, Shin-Soo Choo). They must lean on those players even more than normal if they want to keep hopes of grabbing the division from the Oakland A’s realistic.
Monday night’s starter Robbie Ross is one of those pitchers Texas is forced to rely upon until it gets some healthy bodies back. The early returns have been promising (1.74 ERA in a no-decision first time out) but it’s still very early to know exactly what Ross is going to provide this season.
Seattle’s Cuban starter Roenis Elias hopes to join names like Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig, in being fellow countrymen that defect from Cuba and captivate American audiences. Elias being the real deal will truly help a pitching staff that is young and unproven behind King Felix.
With two interesting developing narratives: Is Seattle the real deal? And can Texas ride out the disabled-list storm? We should have some compelling baseball played in north Texas on Monday night.
Expect Rios to be aggressive on the basepaths along with Choo making his presence felt and big Prince mashing at home on Monday.
Texas 6, Seattle 3
