The Seattle Mariners will travel across the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the first of a best-of-three Wild Card Playoff series on Friday afternoon. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Mariners-Blue Jays prediction and pick, laid out below.
Seattle finished the season with a 90-72 record, second place in both the AL West and the AL Wild Card. The second-place Wild Card finish ensured the team their first playoff berth since 2001, ending the largest active playoff drought in professional sports.
Toronto turned in a great season, going 92-70 to earn the top spot in the AL Wild Card, trailing only the New York Yankees in a vaunted AL East division. Even with the firing of manager Charlie Montoyo mid-season, John Schneider was able to right the ship in Toronto.
Here are the Mariners-Blue Jays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
AL Wild Card Odds: Mariners-Blue Jays Odds
Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-172)
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+142)
Over: 7 (-108)
Under: 7 (-112)
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
Luis Castillo, who was acquired at the deadline, will start Seattle's first playoff game since 2001. Castillo has been great since being acquired, going 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA in his 11 starts with Seattle, striking out 77 in 65.1 innings. Overall, Castillo has started 25 games, pitching to a 2.99 ERA with 167 strikeouts in 150.1 innings. Batters have hit just .212 against Castillo this season, including a .152 batting average against Castillo's fastball.
Erik Swanson has been great out of the bullpen, posting a 1.68 ERA in 53.2 innings, striking out 70 batters. Flamethrowing righty Andres Munoz pitched to a 2.49 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 65 innings. Munoz has struck out 38.7 percent of the batters he has faced, which ranks in the 99th percentile in the league. Closer Paul Sewald, armed with a reworked arsenal, registered a 2.67 ERA with 20 saves and 72 strikeouts in 64 innings.
Seattle's offense was paced by rookie Julio Rodriguez, who led the team with a .284 batting average, hitting 28 home runs, 25 doubles, and 25 stolen bases. Eugenio Suarez led the team with 31 home runs and 87 RBI, adding 24 doubles. Catcher Cal Raleigh hit 27 home runs, none more important than the walk-off to clinch a playoff berth against Oakland. Ty France led the team with 27 doubles, adding 20 home runs and a .276 batting average. Dylan Moore ranks second on the team with 21 stolen bases. Seattle tied for ninth in the league with 197 home runs.
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
Young right-hander Alek Manoah to the mound to begin this series. Manoah started 31 games, posting a 2.24 ERA with 180 strikeouts in 196.2 innings. Manoah went 16-7 on the year, leading the team in wins and innings pitched. Opponents hit just .202 against the right-hander. Sidewinder Adam Cimber appeared in 77 games this season, pitching to a 2.80 ERA. David Phelps owned a 2.83 ERA in his 65 appearances this season. Anthony Bass was acquired at the deadline from Miami and proceeded to pitch to a 1.75 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. Closer Jordan Romano posted a 2.11 ERA with 36 saves and 73 strikeouts in 64 innings.
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. led the team with 32 home runs and 97 RBI, adding 35 doubles and ranking third with a .274 batting average. Bo Bichette led the team with 43 doubles and a .290 batting average, adding 25 home runs and 93 RBI. George Springer led the team with 14 stolen bases, adding 25 home runs and 22 doubles. Matt Chapman ranked second on the team with 27 home runs. Teoscar Hernandez belted 25 home runs and 35 doubles, with a .267 batting average. Catcher Alejandro Kirk ranked second with a .285 batting average, hitting 14 home runs and 19 doubles, with more walks than strikeouts. Toronto ranked third in the league with 307 doubles and seventh with 200 home runs.
Final Mariners-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
Not a lot of offense happening here, but Toronto does have more firepower.
Final Mariners-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick: Toronto -1.5 (+142), under 7 (-112)
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