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The Seattle Mariners take on the Houston Astros. Our MLB odds series has our Mariners Astros prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Mariners Astros.
The Houston Astros have, all things considered, done well in recent weeks with Yordan Alvarez injured and unvailable. One of the bigger storylines of the first half of the MLB season has been the run of key injuries to World Series championship contenders. The Los Angeles Dodgers have absorbed a ton of pitching injuries. The New York Yankees are without Aaron Judge. The Astros have been hit hard as well, losing Lance McCullers for the season and not having Jose Altuve for multiple weeks earlier in the campaign. Now they are without Yordan. The good news for the Astros is that they were able to take three out of four games from the Texas Rangers in a recent series. Without their best power hitter, they have remained in contention in the American League West and have not lost ground in the American League wild card chase.
The bad news for the Astros is that with the Texas Rangers struggling in recent weeks, Houston has not been able to apply even more pressure on its in-state neighbor in the A.L. West. Two straight losses to the Seattle Mariners at home have thwarted a push for the division lead just before the All-Star break. Houston has the wild card as a fall-back plan if it can't catch the Rangers, but the Astros obviously want to put themselves in the best possible position to defend their World Series title.
Here are the Mariners-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Mariners-Astros Odds
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (+168)
Houston Astros: +1.5 (-205)
Over: 8 (-115)
Under: 8 (-105)
How To Watch Mariners vs. Astros
TV: Fox
Stream: Fox Sports App
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT
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*Watch Mariners-Astros LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
The Mariners have Bryan Woo as their starting pitcher. The rookie needed a little time to get settled, but in his last few starts, he has been very sharp. The Mariners have plenty of flaws and problems, but developing young pitchers isn't one of them. Seattle is a pitching-rich team which continues to get the most from its rotation. The Mariners, as is metaphorically appropriate for people who know their way around the high seas, possess great depth and don't allow their ship to spring too many leaks. They are able to contain their opponents, and in recent weeks, Woo has been part of that reality.
The Yordan Alvarez injury has really been a factor in this series against the Mariners. Yordan is a Mariner-killer. We saw it in the playoffs last October, and we saw it earlier this season when the two teams met. The Astros can always use their elite slugger, but his absence has shown up more than usual against Seattle.
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros have Framber Valdez on the mound for this game. Valdez leads American League starting pitchers (with a qualifying number of innings pitched) in ERA. He remains Mr. Consistency, the king of the quality start. Though perhaps not quite as good as 2022, he is still the dependable arm in the rotation who gives Dusty Baker six solid innings and doesn't allow the big inning very often. He can hold the Mariners at bay in this game and set the stage for the offense to win the game if it can score a modest total of four or five runs.
Final Mariners-Astros Prediction & Pick
The Astros lack Alvarez, but Framber is a difference-maker in an important game, which this certainly is for the Astros. Take Houston.
Final Mariners-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros +1.5
