Seattle @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 22, 2018 ) Seattle 13, Texas 0

The Seattle Mariners have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention but still have been playing hard as they prepare to close out their final road trip of the season. The Mariners will try to make it seven wins in 10 games on the trek when they visit the Texas Rangers on Sunday for the rubber match of their three-game series.

Seattle dropped a rain-shortened 8-3 decision in the series opener on Friday but posted its third shutout of the road trip with a 13-0 demolition that evened the set. The Mariners are getting strong individual performances from the likes of Robinson Cano, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs on Saturday and is 11-for-15 with six extra-base hits over his last four games. The Rangers, who are operating under the guidance of interim manager Don Wakamatsu after firing Jeff Banister on Friday, managed three hits in the middle contest of the series and fell for the fifth time in six games. Texas will try to bounce back behind Martin Perez while Seattle counters with Wade LeBlanc.

TV: 3:05 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), FS Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Wade LeBlanc (8-4, 3.49 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Martin Perez (2-6, 6.33)

LeBlanc continues to be a steadying veteran presence in Seattle's rotation as he turned in 5 1/3 solid innings at Houston on Monday, yielding one run and three hits without factoring in the decision. The native of Louisiana has surrendered fewer than three earned runs in each of his last five turns and seven of the last eight. LeBlanc started at Texas on Aug. 6 and breezed through 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run and two hits, but did not record a decision.

Perez will be making his first start since Aug. 25 after six consecutive relief appearances - five of which were scoreless and four in which he worked at least two innings. The 27-year-old Venezuelan has lost four straight decisions after splitting his first four turns of the season, including his most recent start in which he yielded four runs and five hits over five frames at San Francisco. Perez is 7-4 with a 3.30 ERA in 19 career appearances (17 starts) against Seattle, including a 1-0 record and 3.46 ERA in two turns this year.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mariners RF Mitch Haniger has hit safely in 11 consecutive games.

2. Texas SS Elvis Andrus has gone 5-for-48 over his last 13 contests.

3. Seattle 2B Dee Gordon hit his third home run on Saturday, one shy of tying his career high.

PREDICTION: Rangers 5, Mariners 3