Behind Enemy Lines: 6 Hottest Rangers Mariners Will Face This Weekend
Taking two of three from the Orioles in Baltimore, the Mariners are now a third of the way done with their current road trip and will now head down to Texas for a three-game date with the Rangers starting Friday night.
This will be the first time Seattle has made its way over to Globe Life Field this season, though the two sides collided up in the Pacific Northwest back in mid April. The Mariners won that series as part of a 7-2 homestand, but things have greatly changed since then.
The Rangers are now ahead of the M's in the American League West standings, sitting in third place with a record of 24-26. They are 18-12 over their last 30 games and trail the third and final wild-card spot—currently held by the stumbling Angels—by just 2.0 games. In that time, they are slashing .241/.301/.406 as a team and rank 12th in the league in wRC+ (106), while their pitching staff has posted the sixth-best mark in fWAR (3.9).
Interestingly enough, their three biggest additions of the offseason—second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager and right-handed pitcher Jon Gray—are not the ones doing the heavy lifting. That's a pretty scary sight for any opposing team. As such, the Mariners look as if they'll have their hands full throughout this entire series.
So who's leading the charge for Texas? Let's look at the past two weeks worth of games and peer over the roster for six of the team's hottest contributors during this hot stretch.
LHP Martín Pérez
The Rangers signed Pérez to a one-year, $4 million contract this past offseason and they've already made back their investment and then some. At 31 years old, Pérez has accumulated 2.0 fWAR through the first two months of the season, posting a 1.42 ERA and a 2.36 FIP in 63.1 innings pitched. He's allowed just one earned run over his last three starts, which includes a complete game shutout of the Astros back on May 20, striking out 16 and walking just three. The Mariners are scheduled to see the veteran southpaw in Sunday's series finale.
RHP Matt Bush
Texas' bullpen is arguably its greatest weakness, but the unit isn't completely devoid of talent. Bush, in particular, has gotten off to a strong start in 2022 and continues to be effective as of late. The 36-year old righty hasn't allowed a run in his last five outings (4.1 innings), surrendering just one hit while striking out six and walking one.
C Sam Huff
Injuries have hampered Huff, but he's healthy right now and playing really good baseball. Logging innings at catcher, first base and designated hitter, the former top prospect ranks second on the Rangers with a 154 wRC+ over the past two weeks, slashing .321/.367/.500 in that time. He's a dangerous hitter with plenty of power and his presence has greatly lengthened Texas' lineup.
C/DH Mitch Garver
Garver hasn't caught since May 8 as he continues to deal with a knee issue, but he's shrugged off a slow start to the year and is hitting the ball well as a full-time DH. Over his last 11 games, the former Twins catcher is slashing .238/.298/.548 with three home runs. The Mariners will have to be weary of his spot in the lineup; he has the potential to break a game wide open.
1B Nathaniel Lowe
After cooling down from a hot month of April, Lowe has gotten back on the horse and is mashing baseballs left and right. Since May 19, he's led all Rangers hitters in batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.405), slugging percentage (.579) and wRC+ (183). Interestingly, he's been a reverse splits hitter thus far, faring better against lefties than righties, so it'll be interesting to see how Marco Gonzales approaches him in his start on Saturday.
OF Kole Calhoun
Whether Calhoun is hot or not, there's always a good chance he'll prove to be a thorn in the Mariners' collective sides—it's just what he does. As it just so happens, though, he's found great success at the plate as of late, hitting .278/.350/.444 with a wRC+ of 135 and two home runs in his last 14 games. Consider the stage set for him to get up to his usual tricks against Seattle this weekend.
