The final regular season series of the year is only moments away with a whole lot to play for as the AL West-leading Texas Rangers travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Mariners. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Rangers-Mariners prediction and pick will be revealed.

Heading into this one, the Rangers have gone on a scorching-hot tear that includes seven wins in their last eight contests overall. As it stands, Texas holds a 2.5-game lead over the Astros and are also four games up on the Mariners heading into the final weekend of the season-long campaign. On the mound in this one for the Rangers will be lefty Jordan Montgomery who is 10-11 with a 3.25 ERA on the year.

Meanwhile, it was the Seattle Mariners who missed a tremendous opportunity to solidify their chances at a playoff berth for the second consecutive season but instead recently lost two of three games to AL West rival Houston over the past several days. At the moment, the Mariners are 1.5 games behind in the AL Wild Card race with only four games to play. With desperation at an all-time high, Seattle will send out RHP Logan Gilbert who is 13-7 with a 3.75 ERA.

Here are the Rangers-Mariners MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rangers-Mariners Odds

Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+168)

Seattle Mariners +1.5 (-205)

Over: 7.5 (-114)

Under: 7.5 (-106)

How To Watch Rangers vs. Mariners

TV: Bally Sports Southwest

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 9:40 ET/6:40 PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

At first glance of the regular season series between the Rangers and Mariners, it is Texas that holds a remarkable 8-1 edge in nine games when facing off with Seattle.

Not only have the Rangers been the Mariners' kryptonite in 2o23, but they also pose a significant threat when on the diamond. With the regular season all but almost concluded, the Rangers have proven that they can be absolutely dynamic with the bats. In fact, not many offenses around the majors have been as efficient as Texas as they have rolled on to the third-most runs in the league while also boasting the second-best slugging percentage in all of baseball. Simply put, this offensive prowess existing in the Texas clubhouse is second to almost no one and a big day at the plate will ultimately help the Rangers cover the spread in a big way on Thursday.

Most importantly, Texas' resilience to bounce back, especially in the pitching department on Wednesday was the one thing that stood out the most as of late. After getting blasted by a score of 9-3 by the lowly Angels on Tuesday that snapped a Texas six-game winning streak, the Rangers bounced back nicely in a 5-0 shutout triumph on Wednesday. There have been plenty of peaks and valleys this season for the Rangers, but their ability to toughness to pick themselves up by the bootstraps and not get too down on themselves could be a quality that is needed later this evening.

Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread

It all comes down to this! Not to sound dramatic, but the playoffs have officially begun in Seattle and there is no question that the Mariners need every game they can get down the stretch to fulfill their season-long aspirations.

Above all else, while the Mariners desperately need a win on this Thursday, the only way that will happen is if Seattle returns back to their dominant pitching ways. While Texas has caught fire in the winning department over the past couple of weeks, Seattle has been quite the opposite with losses in eight of their previous 12 contests overall. Remember, the Mariners even held a short division lead not too long ago! Fast forward only a handful of games and the Mariners' margin of error from the mound will be slimmer than usual against a high-octane offense like the Rangers.

If Seattle is going to cover, Logan Gilbert may need to be close to flawless in his pursuit of defeating Texas for the first time in 2023. Believe it or not, Gilbert has posted a rock-solid 2.92 ERA in a pair of starts despite owning a 0-2 record against their division rivals. Even though he is winless, the importance of starting off hot and getting into a groove in the early frames of this one will be close to vital.

Last but certainly not least, over the course of the nine games played versus the Rangers which has been lopsided, to say the least, the Seattle offense has been far too inconsistent. This is a middle-of-the-pack offense statistically, but they possess a multitude of young talent that can inflict damage. Can these youthful bats come in clutch during the critical moments of the ballgame? Only time will tell.

Final Rangers-Mariners Prediction & Pick

The Mariners have lost eight consecutive games to the Rangers, and there is no doubt they are due to down their division rivals. However, that day will not be today as Texas is officially on a roll and Seattle appears to be going in the wrong direction at the worst possible time.

Final Rangers-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+168)