Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners Betting Preview
Saturday evening will feature an A.L. West showdown as the Houston Astros (6-7) take on the Seattle Mariners (9-5). The Mariners will host this one at T-Mobile Park, with first pitch scheduled for 9:10 pm ET.
The Mariners took the first game of this series 6-5 on Friday. They did not lead in this one until the bottom of the ninth inning when Ty France hit a game-winning double.
In the win, Mitch Haniger and Ty France combined to go five for eight while first baseman Evan White hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning. At 9-5, the Mariners lead the West and will look to expand on that lead Saturday.
The Astros are in the midst of a six-game losing streak after losing Friday. In the loss, second baseman Alex De Goti went two for four with two runs and a run batted in during his major league debut. Jose Urquidy got a no-decision after giving up two runs in just under six innings.
Despite the losing streak, the Astros are the favorites in this one. They are -138 to win while the Mariners’ moneyline sits at +118. The runline features the Mariners +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is eight.
Pitching Matchup
The Astros will send ace Zack Greinke (1-1, 4.08 ERA) to the mound. In his last game, a 6-2 loss to the Tigers, Greinke gave up six runs on ten hits and three walks in less than five innings of work. He will look to bounce back Saturday.
The Mariners will counter with righty Chris Flexen (1-0, 4.50 ERA). Flexen struggled in his last outing, an 8-6 win over the Twins, going five innings allowing eight hits, six runs (five earned), and striking out five. Like Greinke, he will look for a better outing in this one.
By The Numbers
Offensively, the Astros still rank in the top five in runs per game at 5.33. That is somewhat misleading, though, as they have averaged just 2.67 in their last three. Seattle ranks 15th in runs per game at 4.38.
Defensively, it is once again the Astros who hold the advantage. They rank 14th in runs allowed per game at 4.42 (although they have allowed 6.67 in their last three). The Mariners rank 20th allowing five runs per game.
Astros Hope To Break Skid
With their loss on Friday, the Astros have now lost six games in a row, and they look lost on both offense and defense. Their offense has struggled to produce in the losing streak, their starters aren’t going very deep in games, and their bullpen has been inconsistent.
It also doesn’t help that the Astros are missing four of their best players due to COVID-19 protocols. Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, and Martin Maldonado will all be out for this one.
Leading the way offensively for Houston has been the first baseman Yuli Gurriel. On the season, he is hitting .422/.544/.578 with a home run and five runs batted in. While the power numbers are lagging, he has gotten on base at a solid clip with 19 hits and 12 walks.
Kyle Tucker leads the team with four home runs while Carlos Correa has three.
Mariners Trying To Show They Belong In Divisional Conversation
At +4000 to win the division, the Mariners are not getting a whole lot of love in terms of odds early on. Expected to be a year of growth for the youngsters, the Mariners are trying to show they can compete now.
Offensively, Seattle is certainly happy to have Mitch Haniger back. After dealing with injuries over the last couple seasons, he has gotten off to a sizzling start. He is hitting .351/.371/.632 with four home runs and eleven runs batted in.
Ty France has also performed well, hitting .288/.387/.462 with a couple home runs and seven runs batted in.
With players like Kyle Seager and Evan White also in the mix, this team has the potential to be a sneaky good offense.
Taking Mariners On Runline
This one comes with the caveat that Zack Greinke is on the mound, and he always has the potential to be really good. Still, it is hard not to like the Mariners in this one.
The Astros have lost six in a row, had a gut-punch of a loss Friday night, and are without three of their top four hitters.
There is a lot of good value in taking the Mariners +118, but at the very least, taking them on the runline seems like a really strong play.
