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How about a little AL West matchup to start off your weekend right? The Houston Astros will make the trip to take on the Seattle Mariners' home opener in the Emerald City! Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Astros-Mariners prediction and pick will be made.
The Astros enter the weekend coming off a two-game split with the Arizona Diamondbacks after losing 3-2 in Phoenix. Starting for Houston will be RHP Jake Odorizzi, who pitched effectively in his season debut versus the Angels only allowing two runs through four innings pitched. The Astros have compiled a 4-2 record thus far and have not played a home game yet.
Seattle will give the ball to Marcos Gonzales, whose streak of three consecutive Opening Day starts ended after the Mariners signed Cy Young winner Robbie Ray during the offseason. Gonzales struggled at times in his last start, as the 30-year-old only lasted two innings in his season debut.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Astros-Mariners MLB odds:
MLB odds: Astros-Mariners Odds
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+130)
Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-156)
Over: 8 (-118)
Under: 8 (-104)
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Why the Astros Could Cover the Spread
The Astros will have a great chance of covering the spread on Friday evening, as Houston possesses raw ability in multiple facets of the game. Houston wraps up their season-opening nine-game road trip with three games in Seattle before returning to the Lone Star State to entertain the home fans at Minute Maid Park. In order to improve to a steady 5-2 on the season, it is vital that the ‘Stros continue to baffle hitters with their league-leading 1.69 ERA. Oftentimes, the formula for reaching the World Series is sensational pitching, something that the Astros are all too familiar with in recent seasons of reaching the most prized stage in all of baseball.
The masterful expertise on the mound is more than ideal for Houston, as the deep outings into the later frames by starters not only is a confidence-builder but also prevent the bullpen from getting fatigued as the wear and tear of the grueling MLB season marches on.
Hoping to build onto the dynamic start on the rubber will be Odorizzi, who is entering his 11th season in the majors. At times, Odorizzi has showcased his ability to be an elite starter at the highest level of baseball and will look to use this start against the Mariners as a building block for the rest of 2022. A year ago, Odorizzi went 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA in five starts versus Seattle.
Even with only 24 runs scored through six games on offense, the Astros hurlers have demonstrated that they can cover any spread with the talented arms on their roster.
Why the Mariners Could Cover the Spread
As for the Mariners, Seattle had dropped four consecutive losses before finally getting back in the win column against the White Sox 5-1. While the Mariners have yet to experience the type of success that the Astros have had to start off the 2022 season, Seattle's streakiness has haunted them thus far.
Winners of their first two matchups against the Twins, Seattle hit a fork in the road by losing the next four before ultimately avoiding a sweep in Chicago by defeating the White Sox 5-1.
All eyes will be on starter Marcos Gonsalez, as the lefty struggled mightily in his first start. While giving up six runs (two unearned) was not the ideal beginning that Gonzales would've liked, the Mariners' offense hasn't fared much better.
After two series played, Seattle has the third-worst batting average in the league while also showing difficulties in having men cross home plate. Runs have been hard to come by, but Seattle has benefited from the play of SS J.P. Crawford, who has the ninth highest average in the MLB at .417.
Of course, the Mariners could cover the spread against the mighty Astros, but they will need help from the Opening Day home crowd at T-Mobile Park and some unsung heroes on offense to get over the hump on Friday night.
Final Astros-Mariners Prediction & Pick
While the oddsmakers may not believe this to be the popular pick, but the Astros have had their way with Gonzales over years past, as the southpaw is only 1-6 with a 5.48 ERA over ten appearances all-time when on the mound versus the ‘Stros. Combine that stat with the phenomenal start the Astros have gotten from their pitching staff and all of a sudden you have a multiple-run Houston victory.
Final Astros-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+130)
