Rangers vs. Mariners MLB Best Bet: Friday the 13th Nod to deGrom & Texas

It’s going to be a long and potentially rough day for folks who suffer from triskaidekaphobia, and we know that includes many sports bettors who are among the most superstitious people around.

But for those willing to cast silly aversions to numbers aside, there’s money to be made in the matchup out in Seattle between the Mariners and Texas Rangers.

The contest is getting a boost on Friday’s marquee thanks to Jacob deGrom (0-0, 0.00) returning from a long layoff to start for Texas. Seattle hasn’t officially named a starting pitcher, but it’s expected to be Emerson Hancock (3-4, 4.76).

Once the Mariners make it official, look for top sportsbooks like BetOnline to post the Rangers as -120 to -125 chalk with 7-7½ for the total.

Rangers Rally to Take Game 1

The Rangers are sending some marquee names to the mound in Seattle this weekend, and the series began with former Vanderbilt star Kumar Rocker making his MLB debut on Thursday with a nice effort over his 4 innings of work (1 ER, 7 K, 74 pitches).

Marcus Semien’s solo homer sparked a 3-run eighth that gave Texas a 5-4 decision. Seattle closed around -140 chalk on MLB odds boards, and the Rangers’ rally helped the final get past a 6½-7 run total.

Thursday’s loss left the Mariners with a 5-2 lead in the season series, and gave the Rangers a measure of revenge after being swept at T-Mobile Park back in June. Totals have run 2-5 O/U in 2024, and the ‘over’ winner in the series opener interrupted what had been a strong ‘under’ lean in Seattle (1-8-1 O/U/P the previous 10 matchups).

Castillo Injury Leaves Mariners Short on Mound

This will be deGrom’s seventh start for the Rangers since inking a 5-year, $185 million deal prior to the start of last season. It has been more than 16 months since he was on a major league mound.

His last appearance also came on a Friday night when deGrom faced the Yankees down in Texas on April 28, 2023. A torn elbow ligament – his 2nd Tommy John surgery – led to his early exit from that game, just another in a long line of injuries that have kept deGrom on the sidelines.

deGrom was overpowering in his four short rehab starts for the Rangers’ Double-A and Triple-A teams, striking out close to half the batters he faced while walking just 1 in 10.2 innings. This will be the first time he’s faced Seattle since 2017.

Bryan Woo’s injury opened a slot on Seattle’s Opening Day roster for Hancock, and now it’s Luis Castillo’s injury that is leading to this start. Hancock made 7 starts for the Mariners in April and May at the back end of the rotation. There were some ugly results, and there were encouraging outings as well.

Hancock made his most recent MLB appearance on July 6th when he took the loss against the Blue Jays. A former 1st-round pick himself out of Georgia in 2020, Hancock needed 93 pitches to get through 4 innings while allowing 2 runs as a small underdog at top sportsbooks.

The lanky righthander has been solid in 17 assignments at Triple-A Tacoma in addition to his time in the big leagues. Hancock fashioned a 7-3 record and 3.43 ERA across those outings (94.1 IP).

Umpire Notes & Roof Report

Ryan Blakney is next up in Bill Miller’s umpire crew to call balls and strikes. A Washington native who hails from about 120 miles east of Seattle, Blakney is in his 10th season calling games at the MLB level and sports a 16-11 O/U record on the year.

Blakney had a strong ‘under’ lean just a year ago when his plate assignments ran 8-18-3 O/U/P, and two of those ‘under winners were his games at the dish in T-Mobil Park.

There’s a good chance that T-Mobile Park will be buttoned up for this contest. The weatherman is calling for a 40%-60% chance of rain in the Seattle area in the late afternoon, early evening hours with the thermometer in the low-60s at first pitch. Bettors are advised to get an update just before making their wagers.

The Pick

Texas was without All-Star shortstop Corey Seager in the series opener due to a sports hernia that will require surgery and cost him the last couple of weeks of this season. That means an already anemic Rangers lineup is without its most productive stick.

Just how long deGrom is allowed to pitch remains to be seen, but he’s likely going to be limited to 4 innings or 50-60 pitches, whichever comes first. It’s a perfect time to roll out a First 5 MLB pick on Texas. 

MLB Pick: Rangers ML 1st 5 (-135) at Heritage Sports

Rangers ML 1st 5 (-135)

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*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.