Mariners vs Rangers: An early chance to control the division is at play in Texas

The Mariners have turned things around over the last two series, going from a team who hadn't won a single series on the young season to a team that is now 5-1 over their last six games with a .500 record. Cal Raleigh has played a big part in that success, hitting not just for the power that we expect but doing so with a good batting average as well.

While it's a step that many a fan wanted to see from Cal, and we all hope he can keep the batting average up around .250, it's the pitching (surprise, surprise) that has been the main factor in getting the Mariners back to .500. In fact, they've accomplished an impressive feat that has only been done once before in the history of the franchise.

It's wild, cause even though they've been utterly dominant, it seems like no one is really talking about them. Despite a 1.48 ERA over the last 10 starts, I haven't heard a ton of national noise about the run that the pitchers have been on. Sure, you expect it against Colorado with the level of talent that they have, but what they did to Cincinatti was incredibly impressive. They held an (at the time) top-3 scoring offense to just five runs in a three-game series.

I bring up the Reds because it is something that the Mariners are going to need to do again if they are going to find success against the Texas Rangers in this mid-week series that they are playing against them. The Rangers have scored the third most runs in the American League, so the Mariners are going to have their hands full. Who does the job fall to? Let's jump into and check out the pitching matchups from the series.

Mariners vs Rangers: Pitching matchups

Tuesday, April 23rd @ 5:05 PM - Logan Gilbert vs Dane Dunning
Wednesday, April 24th @5:05 PM - Bryce Miller vs Jon Gray
Thursday, April 25th @ 11:35 AM - Luis Castillo vs Andrew Heaney

After three straight outings in which he gave up three earned runs, Dunning is coming off of his best performance of the season when he limited the Tigers to just one earned run. He's had a bit of a walk problem so far, with 13 free passes in 23 innings. Not just that, he has already given up five homers. Big potential here for the Mariners to work counts and wait for that high fastball mistake from Dunning. There is a real opportunity here to score four runs off Dunning in 5 innings, and force the bullpen in to action early.

It's a wierd situation with Jon Gray. He didn't make it out of the fourth inning in the first two starts of the season, and then he turned it around and looked much better, even if it was against the Tigers and Athletics. However, it's his most recent appearance that stands out. Yes, appearance. He entered in relief last time out against the Braves. Could we see an early hook here? It seems possible.

In the series finale, the Mariners will see Andrew Heaney. He made it through the fifth inning for the first time all season in his last outing, and has struggled to limit baserunners all season. The battle to watch will be to see how the Rangers pitchers try and attack the zone, and if the Mariners can take advantage. If the Rangers are too cautious, they could have to call on their bullpen early and often in the series with how Gray and Heaney have pitched lately, and the Rangers and their bullpen that is ranked 23rd in ERA could be in trouble.

Mariners vs Rangers: Hitters to watch

This is the worry with the Rangers. Their offense is prolific, and one that puts fear into opponents deeper into the lineup arguably than any other team in the American League. Adolis Garcia has been leading the way for the Rangers, already having slugged six homers, stolen four bases, all the while slashing .326/.368/.616.

You can easily find trouble against the Rangers by giving up free passes, as so many of their hitters have done a great job at earning them this season and setting the table for the rest of the lineup. Evan Carter has an 11.9% BB rate, Corey Seager at 10%, Jared Walsh at 11.7%, Josh Smith at 11.1%, and Ezequiel Duran at 11.1%. The Mariners have been fantastic at limiting walks, and that could be the key to success against the Rangers.

Watch out for Evan Carter. Even though he is hitting just .211, 8 of his 15 hits this season are XBH. We all know that Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are dangerous bats, but I really want to keep an eye on Jon... the backstop for the Rangers. I'm afraid to say his name ever since the back-to-back walk-off wins against the Mariners a few years ago. I still shudder thinking about that.