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In a battle as old as time between sailors out at sea reeling in their fish, the Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins will put this all too familiar clash to the test as each squad will face off on the baseball diamond. It is time to check out our MLB odds series, where our Mariners-Marlins prediction and pick will be made.
After coming up on the wrong ends of things in Miami on Friday 8-6, Seattle will look to bounce back by deploying left-hander Robbie Ray to even up the series at one win apiece. Ray is 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA and has 18 strikeouts on the year across 25.1 innings to start off the new season.
Miami will look to add to their momentum by countering with a southpaw for themselves in Jesus Luzardo and his 1-1 record including a 3.77 ERA in three starts on the year. The former top prospect was acquired in the offseason from the Athletics and impressed in his debut start this season, striking out 12 batters in just 5 innings against the Angels.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Mariners-Marlins odds:
MLB odds: Mariners-Marlins Odds
Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-210)
Miami Marlins: -1.5 (+172)
Over: 7.5 (-102)
Under: 7.5 (-120)
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Why the Mariners Could Cover the Spread
Prior to last night's high-scoring affair, the Mariners and Marlins had not seen each other on the diamond since April 19, 2017, nearly five years ago to the day. While Seattle did not play their most efficient game of baseball on Friday, the Mariners are still 11-9 and well within reach of the top spot in the AL West.
During the 8-6 defeat in the first game of the series, the Mariners seemingly traded blows with Miami for the majority of the game, even equaling the Marlins in hits at 10 apiece. After 11 runs were scored in the opening three frames of the ballgame, no one from either side was able to muster up any more offense until Seattle's attempted rally in the ninth inning, which ended up being too little too late. Seattle will look to keep the offense rolling in the middle innings as they look to grab a win in Miami on Saturday.
Robbie Ray will be on the mound for Seattle, which is big for the Mariners. The reigning AL Cy Young should be able to stifle the Marlins' offense and open the door for the Mariners' bats to do some serious damage against the youthful Luzardo.
Seattle is 13-7 ATS through 20 games.
Why the Marlins Could Cover the Spread
Just like they did last night and similarly to why the Mariners could cover the spread, Miami will need to get after Robbie Ray early in this one. The Marlins have not always been at their best when going up against Ray, so finding a way to prevent him from finding a rhythm on the rubber will be key in Miami's chances of winning back-to-back against Seattle. Despite Ray coming off a Cy Young-winning campaign, he's already surrendered 4 home runs in just 3 starts this season.
At 11-8, the Marlins have been one of the hottest teams in baseball of late, as Miami has racked on six consecutive wins and will be looking for a seventh straight on Saturday.
While Miami has had an abundant amount of offensive production at the plate, names like Jorge Soler need to heat up as the weather gets warmer and warmer outside. Soler is only hitting .178 on the young season, but he did mash a 468-foot homer in yesterday's win. Even though second-baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been absolutely electric with his team-leading four home runs and 15 runs batted in, Miami has collectively only scored 77 runs, good for 21st in the league.
Luzardo will face a tall task trying to compete with the 2021 AL Cy Young in Ray, but he's shown this season that he can hold his own at the big-league level after an awful 2021. In four career appearances versus the Mariners, the 24-year-old lefty is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA.
The Marlins are 11-8 ATS through 19 games.
Final Mariners-Marlins Prediction & Pick
Which version of the Marlins will we see Saturday afternoon? Will it be the same squad that started off 5-8, or the bunch that has played with a sense of urgency during their six-game winning streak? With Ray on the mound and his historical dominance over Miami in his career, things don't match up well for the Marlins in this one. Side with Seattle and the +1.5 and you will not be disappointed.
Final Mariners-Marlins Pick: Mariners +1.5 (-210)
