Everything about Friday night's matchup between the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners tips the scales to the Mariners being an overwhelming favorite.
The M's have won Felix Hernandez's last seven starts, the Rangers' lineup is a shell of its former self and the Rangers are sending a struggling Nick Tepesch to the mound to square off against the perennial Cy Young candidate.
Hernandez has historically struggled against the Rangers unlike any other opponent, and while he's been more successful against them this year than in years past (who wouldn't be successful against the 2014 Rangers lineup) he's still not been as good as he against the rest of the league.
Over the course of his big league career, Hernandez has made 41 starts against the Rangers. He's 12-20 with an ERA in the 4.00s, and the Mariners are 15-26 in those starts. King Felix has made two starts against the Rangers this season — one in Arlington and one in Seattle — and he actually fared better in his Globe Life start, going seven innings, fanning nine and giving up just one run in a no-decision that the Rangers won in walkoff fashion. In Seattle, he took another no-decision in a Rangers' win after he allowed three runs in six innings.
Still, the Rangers seem to be catching King Felix at the wrong time after he fanned 15 in seven innings his last time out — a remarkable line. We'll see in a matter of hours if the Rangers can prevent him from keeping that up.
