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The Seattle Mariners will continue their battle with the Houston Astros in the second of a four-game series Friday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes our Mariners-Astros prediction and pick we have laid out below.
Seattle is fighting for their playoff lives, sitting in second in the AL Wild Card race at 54-46. With yesterday's defeat, Seattle is now 11 games behind Houston for the division title, all but secluding them to the Wild Card.
Houston, as it has done with most of their opponents this season, handled Seattle in a 4-2 victory last night. With a 65-35 record on the season, Houston is all but guaranteed another playoff appearance in 2022.
Here are the Mariners-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Mariners-Astros Odds
Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-140)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+116)
Over: 7.5 (+100)
Under: 7.5 (-122)
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Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
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Seattle is another feel-good, fun-loving, young team on the rise. Led by superstar rookie Julio Rodriguez, and emerging superstar Ty France, Seattle is locked into the playoff race. Rodriguez has overcome a slow start to his career and is currently hitting .272 with 18 home runs and 21 stolen bases. It is a virtual lock for Rodriguez to win the AL Rookie of the Year award. As for France, the first-time All-Star has 13 home runs to go along with his team-leading .310 batting average. As a team, Seattle relies on their power to score runs, ranking 12th with 110 home runs on the season. Eugenio Suarez (16 home runs) and Cal Raleigh (14 home runs) are the other two Mariners to club double-digit home runs.
Seattle possesses one of baseball's best pitching staffs, ranking fifth in the league with a 3.58 ERA. Tonight, Robbie Ray will take his tight pants and 3.90 ERA to the mound. Ray has struck out an impressive 136 batters in his 120 innings of work, good for a 10.2 K/9 mark. Ray will have to limit his home run rate, as he has given up 20 so far this season. Behind Ray, Seattle will deploy a lethal bullpen that ranks seventh in ERA with a 3.48 mark. Closer Paul Sewald has enjoyed a resurgence in Seattle, and has posted a 2.79 ERA to go along with 12 saves this season.
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
Teams do not reach 30 games above .500 by accident. Houston is one of the most complete teams in baseball, with one of the best front offices to boot. Even with the loss of Carlos Correa to free agency, this is one of baseball's best offenses. Filling in for the departed Correa is star rookie Jeremy Pena, a legitimate challenger to Rodriguez's Rookie of the Year quest. Pena is hitting .262 to go along with 15 home runs in his freshman campaign. Any mention of the Houston offense is not complete without acknowledging Yordan Alvarez, who has deposited 29 home runs on his way to hitting .309. In all, six Astros have reached double-digit home runs, while the team has hit 141, third in the league.
On the mound, Justin Verlander has turned in a vintage season, going 13-3 with a 1.86 ERA across his 18 starts. Verlander not only paces this club in ERA but ranks third in all of baseball in that category. The veteran has also struck out 117 in his 116.1 innings of work. Getting Verlander out of the game is no reason to celebrate, as Houston's bullpen is second in baseball with a 3.05 ERA. Rafael Montero and Ryne Stanek both have ERAs below 2.00 and serve as a dominant bridge to closer Ryan Pressly (2.70 ERA, 21 saves). Runs will be a hot commodity anytime a team squares off with Houston.
Final Mariners-Astros Prediction & Pick
This series will feature some of the best pitching matchups possible, and this one is no different. Do not expect a high-scoring affair in this one.
Final Mariners-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+116), under 7.5 (-122)
