This price is higher than I normally like to lay with a favorite, but the lopsided pitching matchup and how poorly Texas is playing makes it justified.




Felix Hernandez is the best right-hander in baseball. He very well could have won the Cy Young Award last season and is off to fast start this year with a 3-0 mark and 1.61 ERA. He's held opposing hitters to a .175 batting average in four starts. He defeated the Rangers, 3-1, 11 days ago striking out 12 while allowing just two hits in seven innings.




Seattle has won 74 percent of the past 31 games Hernandez has started.




Texas is 2-7 in its last nine games. The Rangers have scored two or fewer runs in four of their last five games. Prince Fielder is 0-for-14 lifetime against Hernandez. Shin-soo Chin is batting a major league worst .096 and has struck out 13 of the 36 times he's faced Hernandez. Mitch Moreland is out with an elbow injury.




The Rangers have suffered injuries to their starting pitching rotation so they've been forced to recycle over-the-hill Wandy Rodriguez,. who hasn't won in two years.




The Mariners have extra punch to their lineup this season with the additions of Nelson Cruz and Richie Weeks. Cruz is batting close to .400 during his last 16 games. He's batting .347 lifetime against his former team, the Rangers.