Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners Betting Preview
AL West rivals will square off on Friday for the first of a three-game set as the Houston Astros (29-16) take on the Seattle Mariners (18-27). The Mariners will host this one at T-Mobile Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 9:40 pm ET.
Before their off-day on Thursday, the Astros started off the week by taking two of three from the Cleveland Guardians. In their last game, they won 2-1 behind 5.2 scoreless innings from Christian Javier, who allowed three hits and struck out nine.
Offensively, the team left 16 on base, but they were still able to manage a win thanks to a solid defensive outing. Yuli Gurriel and Jose Siri had two hits apiece in the win.
After winning the first game of the series, the Seattle Mariners dropped back-to-back games to the Oakland A’s, including a 4-2 loss on Wednesday. Robbie Ray took the loss after giving up three runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out 10 in the defeat.
J.P. Crawford led the way with two hits for Seattle, but they managed just five hits on the night and left 16 on base.
The Astros are the favorites Friday night despite playing on the road. They are -190 to win while the Mariners’ moneyline sits at +160. The runline features Seattle +1.5 (-108), and the over/under for total runs is seven.
Astros Look To Keep Pressure On AL West
At 29-16, the Astros currently have a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. Houston will look to keep pressure on the division by picking up a win on the road Friday night. To date, they are 15-10 outside of Houston.
Taking the mound for the Astros is future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Justin Verlander. This season, he is 6-1 with a 1.22 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and he has 49 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched.
Verlander has been remarkable in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. In his last start, the 39-year-old picked up the win over Texas, going six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.
Offensively, Yordan Alvarez continues to rake for Houston. This season, he is hitting .246/.356/.551 with 12 home runs, 25 runs batted in, and 27 runs scored.
Alvarez has also hit Mariners’ starter Chris Flexen well in his career. In seven at bats, he has four hits, including two home runs and five runs batted in.
Martin Maldonado (3 for 9, home run) and Kyle Tucker (4 for 11, RBI) have also had success off of the righty in their careers.
Mariners Trying To Reset Season
For a young team that finished second in the AL West last season, there were high hopes for the Seattle Mariners coming into this year.
Unfortunately for Mariners’ fans, the team has fallen flat in the first quarter of the season as they already sit 11 games back of the Astros for first.
Hosting the Astros for three, this would be a good opportunity for the Mariners to reset their season and try to get back on track.
Manager Scott Servais will send out righty Chris Flexen for the opener Friday. On the year, Flexen is 1-6 with a 4.98 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and has 31 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched.
In his last three starts, Flexen has struggled as he has gone 0-2 and has given up a combined 14 earned runs in that stretch.
Eugenio Suarez has led the Mariners’ offense from a power standpoint thus far. Despite hitting just .216/.306/.451, he leads the team with nine home runs and 25 runs scored. He also has 23 runs batted in.
Arguably the Mariners’ best hitter, though, has been first baseman Ty France. In 178 at bats, France is hitting .331/.406/.489 with six home runs, 19 runs scored, and a team-leading 31 runs batted in.
In six at bats, France has had some success against Verlander, going two for three. Kyle Lewis, Jesse Winker, and Suarez have all taken Verlander deep once in their careers.
Take Verlander And The Astros On The Moneyline
This one just boils down to how solid Justin Verlander has been to start the season. Verlander has only given up seven earned runs all season and has gone 19 straight innings without allowing a run.
On the flip side, Chris Flexen has been anything but dominant while the Mariners are still stumbling out of the gates. In fact, Seattle has lost eight of their last 10.
Under the current trends, it is just hard to imagine the Mariners being able to pick up the win Friday. Take the Astros on the moneyline, and don’t be surprised if they cover the -1.5 runline (-111).
