Mariners will have one clear advantage in rivalry renewal with Rangers

Three months into the 2025 MLB season, it remains difficult to know what to make of the Seattle Mariners. They have gone back and forth between looking unbeatable and looking badly undermanned and outgunned, all while the Houston Astros have pulled ahead in the AL West standings by 6.5 games.

Of course, it is the other Texas team that will have the Mariners' attention this weekend, and the goal is clear: push that one even further down the standings.

Just two years after winning the first World Series title in their history — which, to be fair, is one more than the Mariners have — the Texas Rangers are still struggling to recover from their fall from grace in 2024. They are 40-41, putting them 1.5 games behind the Mariners (41-39) for second place in the AL West.

The Rangers have been playing better with an 11-6 record since June 7, a stretch owed in part to former Mariner Bret Boone's impact as Texas' new hitting coach. Yet there is an area where the Rangers are taking a step back, and it could bode well for Seattle's fortunes over the next three days.

What could give the Mariners an edge over the Rangers this weekend

Though the Rangers aren't where they want to be after playing exactly half of their 2025 schedule, things aren't worse for them in large part because of their starting pitching.

Their rotation carried them in the first two months of the season, posting a league-best 2.82 ERA through the end of May. It was a collaborative effort, with Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle posting sub-2.00 ERAs and Jacob deGrom not far behind with a 2.42 ERA.

Cut to now, and deGrom has gotten even hotter as he's lowered his ERA to 2.08 in his first full year back after his second Tommy John surgery. He flirted with a no-hitter his last time out on Wednesday, conceding after he eventually lost it: "Dang it, I wanted that."

Yet here's the good news for the Mariners: They won't be seeing deGrom in this series, and there are questions hanging over the three starters they will be up against.

Texas' rotation has taken to struggling with a 4.35 ERA in June, in part because Kumar Rocker (4.61 ERA) and Jack Leiter (6.75 ERA) have struggled. The M's will see them in the latter two games of this weekend's showdown, and will especially need to capitalize against Leiter. He started strong this year, but has struggled with walks (31) and home runs (nine) since returning from an IL stint on April 27.

Speaking of returning from IL stints, Eovaldi's scheduled start on Friday night will mark his first outing since May 27. He has been out with a triceps issue that contributed to a velocity decline his last time out, when he sat at only 93.3 mph with his fastball.

For their part, the Mariners are set to counter with Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and Luis Castillo. Woo has a 3.12 ERA and has gone at least six innings in all 15 of his starts. Gilbert and Castillo have been a little homer-prone of late, but both are decorated aces and this much can be said in Gilbert's defense: It was hot and windy in Chicago when he gave up three homers on Sunday.

Mind you, the big equalizer in this series will be the venue. Globe Life Field wasn't known for being a launching pad before 2025, and Statcast now has it rated as the single worst park for hitters in all of MLB.

“Our people are perplexed,” Rangers general manager Chris Young told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “We’re looking at everything from the humidor to which doors and windows are open at what points of time during the game for entrance and egress. We don’t have answers right now.”

Despite a recent uptick, the Rangers' offense still isn't getting much from Corey Seager and has generally been one of the worst in baseball throughout 2025. It has a .293 OBP that ranks 28th in the league. Meanwhile, M's pitchers are allowing a season-best .296 OBP in June.

As for Seattle's offense, we've frankly given up trying to take anything for granted with any not named Cal Raleigh. He remains on pace for a record-breaking 65 home runs, whereas Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, and the rest of the lineup are akin to a house cat: endearing, indifferent, and infuriating in equal measure.

All the same, getting to face two weak links in a struggling rotation can only help Seattle's bats come back alive after back-to-back duds in Minnesota. If that happens and Gilbert, Woo, and Castillo do their part, the Mariners will have a good recipe for a happy flight home on Sunday.

Game Times and Probable Pitchers for Mariners vs. Rangers, June 27-29

• Friday, June 27 at 5:05 p.m. PT: Logan Gilbert vs. Nathan Eovaldi
• Saturday, June 28 at 1:05 p.m. PT: Bryan Woo vs. Kumar Rocker
• Sunday, June 29 at 11:35 a.m. PT: Luis Castillo vs. Jack Leiter