Texas @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 26, 2013 ) Texas 8, Seattle 3

The Texas Rangers are soaring in August and look to improve to 18-6 in the month when they visit the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday in the middle contest of a three-game set. Texas snapped a two-game skid with an 8-3 win in the series opener to maintain its 2 1/2-game lead over the Oakland Athletics in the American League West. The Mariners are 0-4 since manager Eric Wedge returned from a stroke and have been outscored 22-5.

Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager is batting .400 with five homers against Texas this season and he hit his 20th homer in Monday’s contest. That gives Seager back-to-back, 20-homer campaigns, making him the first Seattle player to accomplish that since 2008, when Raul Ibanez did it for the fourth straight season and current Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre did it for the third consecutive year. Rangers catcher A.J Pierzynski hit a three-run homer in Monday’s game and shortstop Elvis Andrus had three hits for his third straight multihit outing.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), ROOT (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Derek Holland (9-6, 2.95 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (12-6, 2.98)

Holland tossed seven innings of two-hit shutout ball against Seattle on August 16 and wasn’t part of the decision. He is 1-0 with a stellar 0.92 ERA in three outings against the Mariners this season to improve his career record to 8-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 16 appearances (12 starts). Holland is 7-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 13 road starts this season.

Iwakuma defeated Holland two starts ago and followed that up with a victory over Oakland. He gave up one run and four hits in seven innings against the Rangers before allowing three runs and seven hits in seven innings against the Athletics. Iwakuma is 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA in four starts against the Rangers this season and has a 3-3 record and 3.75 ERA in eight career appearances (seven starts).

WALK-OFFS

1. Rangers OF Leonys Martin (ankle) has missed consecutive games but might play Tuesday.

2. Mariners OF Franklin Gutierrez (hamstring) returned from a two-month stint on the disabled list and went 0-for-4 Monday.

3. Beltre is 8-for-19 with two homers against Iwakuma, while 2B Ian Kinsler is 6-for-17 with three homers.

PREDICTION: Rangers 6, Mariners 4