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One win away from the American League Championship Series, the Houston Astros travel to the Pacific Northwest with some brooms in hand to take on Seattle for Game Three of the ALDS. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Astros-Mariners prediction and pick will be made.
It all comes down to this! Coming into postseason play, the Astros possessed the best record in the American League and they sure have looked like it in this series. After a dramatic walk-off win in the opening game of the series and holding off a Seattle comeback in game two, the Astros championship aspirations can get one step closer to becoming reality with a win on this October Saturday. In an attempt to seal the deal, Houston will send out righty Lance McCullers Jr., who has compiled a 4-2 record to go along with a 2.27 ERA in his eight games started.
Despite dropping the first two games of this best-of-five series, the enthusiasm in and around Seattle will be at an all-time high as the Mariners will be hosting their first playoff game since 2001 when they won an MLB record of 116 wins during that season. With their backs up against the wall, Seattle's season comes down to this. Getting the start to extend their playoff lives will be RHP George Kirby, who went 8-5 with a 3.39 ERA in his 25 starts during the regular season.
Here are the Astros-Mariners MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
ALDS Odds: Astros-Mariners Odds
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+150)
Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-182)
Over: 7 (-102)
Under: 7 -120)
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
To begin, the Astros have given the Mariners their all by slugging the absolute cover off of the ball. Through two games, Houston has scored 12 runs and will look to carry a big stick once again when they head to the Emerald City. Although they have been rather productive at the plate, the ‘Stros have also come up with extremely timely hits that have pretty much decided each game in this series. In both games, the best hitter in either clubhouse has hands down been Yordan Alvarez, whose two home runs against Seattle has taken the air out of the Mariners.
Even more impressive, Alvarez' three-run homer in game two came off of reigning AL Cy Young Robby Ray in victorious fashion. Simply put, the Astros may need Alvarez to record another heroic effort if they want to cover the spread later this afternoon.
Of course, Houston's chances of advancing to the ALCS will ride on the arm of Lance McCullers. After returning late in the year after recovering from an injury, McCullers made eight starts but none against the Mariners in 2022. Fortunately, McCullers has logged 15 postseason appearances since 2015 and this could prove to be vital today.
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
With all of the enthusiasm of Seattle surrounding the city and its professional baseball team. In fact, if you are currently in the city, it would be hard to tell that the Mariners trail 0-2 in the series. Regardless, the pandemonium that should be taking place in this stadium will provide a major boost for this clubhouse out on the diamond.
In addition, the Mariners may have a slight advantage in this one with George Kirby having some experience against the Astros this season. Back on July 31st, Kirby pitched rather well on a strict 75-pitch limit and only allowed two runs on four hits and struck out a whopping seven batters in only four innings. With that being said, Kirby may be the biggest difference-maker in this one.
Not to mention, but can this Mariners squad hold a lead that they have given up far too often in this series? After jumping out to a 4-0 lead in game one and squandering a 2-1 lead yesterday, can Seattle stand firm and fight off a relentless Houston attack? All in all, this one will come down to whether or not Seattle's best hitters in Julio Rodriguez, Ty France, and Mitch Haniger come to play in the biggest game of the Mariners' season.
Final Astros-Mariners Prediction & Pick
Surely, 21 years is a long time for a franchise to wait to host a playoff game. With the energy in Seattle buzzing louder as it ever has, the Mariners will stave off elimination on Saturday and cover the spread in doing so.
Final Astros-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Mariners +1.5 (-182)
