My AL West TOTAL OF THE YEAR is on the UNDER Rangers/Mariners at 9:40 EST. It's the opening game of a three-game AL West Division series and with two really strong starting pitchers going head-to-head on Friday, I think we're definitely in store for a very low-scoring defensive battle in this one. Texas is off a 6-2 win at the Cubs to salvage that series, but overall the Rangers are No. 1 in the division at 9-4. Seattle is now 5-8 after taking two of three here from the Astros, including a 7-6 victory on Wednesday. The bottom line for me on this pick though is the starting pitching matchup. The visitors hand the ball to Jacob deGrom (0-0, 3.38 ERA), while the home side counters with Bryce Miller (0-2, 5.73.) DeGrom is 1-1 with a 1.83 ERA in five lifetime starts vs. the Mariners. Miller has struggled against the Rangers in the past, going 0-3 in five matchups vs. them. However, he's 11-7 with a 2.76 ERA and 0.977 WHIP at T-Mobile Park. I think Miller settles down here and matches his veteran counterpart inning for inning. While these teams have both been involved in several higher-scoring games of late, the opener in this one finally points to be a lower-scoring defensive under in my opinion.