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It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Giants-Mariners prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Giants Mariners.
It happened sooner than expected. The Seattle Mariners were almost certain to fire manager Scott Servais at the end of the season, given that the Mariners are highly likely to fall short of the playoffs once again. The Mariners didn't wait six weeks. They pulled the trigger now, sacking Servais and replacing him with former Mariner catcher Dan Wilson as interim manager, with Mariner legend and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Edgar Martinez on the coaching staff. Wilson has no managerial experience, but no one ever viewed him as a permanent replacement. He is clearly a temporary caretaker of the team before the Seattle organization looks for a new permanent manager in the offseason, with plenty of candidates likely to think about the job. Whoever takes over in Seattle might have to have tough conversations with upper management, given that the Mariners have been reluctant to spend big on elite hitters, but the attractive element of the job is that a great starting rotation is in place. A new manager could make it all work if he can figure out how to get players to hit better.
In the meantime, can the reality of a managerial change get the 2024 Mariners to hit better in the next five weeks, before it's too late? The Houston Astros won again on Thursday against the Orioles to create a 5.5-game lead over Seattle. The Mariners are running out of games. If they're going to mount a rally, it has to start now against a San Francisco team which also has to get going if it wants to catch the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild card race. The Giants are four games behind Atlanta and face a brutal September schedule. They need to make a push right now.
Giants-Mariners Projected Starters
Hayden Birdsong vs. Luis Castillo
Hayden Birdsong (3-3) has a 5.01 ERA. Birdsong has had tough sledding in his road starts this season. It's a small sample size, but the Giants — being in the wild card hunt — need Birdsong to be better down the stretch. They don't have a lot of margin for error in terms of their place in the standings, but they also have a small margin for error because their offense doesn't score a lot. Birdsong needs to give his teammates the best possible chance to win.
Last Start: Saturday, August 17 versus the Oakland Athletics: 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 3 BB, 5 K
2024 Road Splits: 5 starts, 22 1/3 IP, 19 H, 14 R, 5 HR, 12 BB, 28 K
Luis Castillo (10-12) has a 3.51 ERA. It is reflective of the Mariners' problems that Castillo is pitching to a 3.51 ERA late in August and has 12 losses and a sub-.500 record in 22 decisions. He has had some clunkers this season, and he wasn't especially good in his most recent start against the Pirates, but Castillo has generally been a good pitcher this season, part of one of baseball's best starting rotations. Castillo doesn't walk a lot of hitters. He gets a lot of strikeouts. He usually gives the Mariners six innings. In the modern game, that's a high standard — not stratospheric, but certainly well above average.
Last Start: Saturday, August 17 versus the Pittsburgh Pirates: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 K
2024 Home Splits: 14 starts, 85 1/3 IP, 75 H, 28 R, 8 HR, 16 BB, 94 K
Here are the Giants-Mariners MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Giants-Mariners Odds
San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-192)
Moneyline: +128
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (+158)
Moneyline: -152
Over: 7 (-110)
Under: 7 (-110)
How to Watch Giants vs Mariners
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET/7:10 p.m. PT
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area (Giants) / Root SportsNet Northwest (Mariners) / MLB Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Giants Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Mariners are one of the three worst hitting teams in baseball, and that includes the historically bad Chicago White Sox and the woeful Miami Marlins. No matter how good the pitching is, the M's can't hit. More specifically, they can't score if they don't hit homers. The Giants can shut them down.
Why The Mariners Will Cover The Spread/Win
A managerial change should motivate every Mariner player to play better. We should see a feisty and motivated team against an average pitcher, Hayden Birdsong.
Final Giants-Mariners Prediction & Pick
We really like the Mariners in this spot. Seattle should play with a little anger and a lot of focus.
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Final Giants-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Mariners -1.5
