Two teams that are struggling early on will meet in the second of a two-game series as the Seattle Mariners host the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night. Los Angeles’ offense got the spark it needed as Mike Trout returned from paternity leave on Tuesday night.
He wasted no time getting to work as he homered in his first at-bat after having his son last week. Los Angeles won the game 5-3, and they hope Trout can make a difference, as they lost three of four without him.
The Angels will have Julio Teheran making his team debut against Marco Gonzalez (1-1, 2.53 ERA) for the Mariners. Gonzalez has been terrific early in the season, throwing 10 2/3 innings and giving up only three earned runs with a WHIP of .94.
Angels Hope Teheran Can Solidify Rotation
With Shohei Ohtani looking like he might be done pitching for the year, the Angels need Teheran to bolster the rotation right away after being out with COVID-19. The former Brave has shown signs of being an effective pitcher throughout his career but has never quite lived up to expectations.
Los Angeles’ best two hitters have been, you guessed it, Brian Goodwin and David Fletcher. While Trout has been his usual self to start the season, free-agent addition Anthony Rendon has yet to get it going after missing time early. He has an OPS of .745 in 27 at-bats with only two extra-base hits.
The Angels have had good success against Gonzalez in the past with a team OPS of .805. Trout has an OPS of 1.215 against him with two home runs and three doubles while going 12-of-28. Fletcher also sees the ball well off the lefty with an OPS over .900.
Mariners Pitching Ugly Early On
Seattle pitchers have combined for an ERA of 6.00 through 12 games. That should go down as Gonzalez has been one of the few bright spots for the pitching staff.
Gonzalez is 6-1 with a 3.82 ERA in his 13 starts against Los Angeles. He will try to end the Mariners’ six-game losing streak.
Seattle’s offense has some unexpected leaders as well this season as youngster Kyle Lewis has been everything the Mariners were hoping for and more. He has a slash line of .375/.423/.583.
Mariners hitters do not have much experience against Teheran as he has spent his entire career in the National League. They have had success in the limited opportunities as Kyle Seager, Mallex Smith, J.P. Crawford and Dee Gordon have combined for a .967 OPS in 44 plate appearances.
Angels/Mariners Betting Lines
Los Angeles is listed as the slight favorite in the contest at -126. The over/under is set at nine runs.
Free Betting Pick
Teheran will probably be on a limited pitch count coming off a battle with COVID-19. The few Mariners who have seen Teheran have hit him well. The Angels have also been able to hit Gonzalez as well, and their best hitters are right-handed.
I like both the over and the Mariners in this one. I think you might want to wait until later in the day as you might be able to get Seattle at +120 as most of the bets will come in on Los Angeles with Trout back. Give me the Mariners and the over nine.
Free Pick: Mariners +113
