Subscribe
Follow Us
The Seattle Mariners head to the nation's capital for a matchup with the Washington Nationals! It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Mariners-Nationals prediction and pick.
The Mariners are hot right now! The M's have won their last eight games in a row after beating the Oakland Athletics in a series followed by a sweep of the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. Seattle had a tough schedule but rose to the occasion as they found a way to sweep the Padres in a 2-game series and then the Blue Jays in a 4-game series. Taking down the Blue Jays in a 4-game series is incredible knowing how great the offense is up north. Seattle is now second in the AL West but trails the Houston Astros by 12 games still.
As for Washington, they are hoping this season comes to an end sooner than later. This team is struggling to win a game as they own the second-worst record in all of baseball at (30-59). The pitching staff is young and lacks experience. The lineup is the same way outside of their core-3 Juan Soto, Nelson Cruz, and Josh Bell. Those are elite offense players, but the rest of the lineup is underwhelming. Let's see if they can turn it around against a hot team.
Here are the Mariners-Nationals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Mariners-Nationals Odds
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (-142)
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (172)
Over: 9.5 (-102)
Under: 9.5 (-120)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
Article Continues Below
Pitching for the Mariners tonight is right-hander Chris Flexen. Flexen flexed in his last outing as he went six scoreless innings against the Padres. He struck out eight and allowed only four hits. That was by far his best performance of the season and it came at the right time. The team is hot and everyone seems to be playing well collectively. Flexen improved his ERA to 4.00 on the season but is only (5-8) on the year.
As if the Mariners need any more motivation right now! First baseman Ty France (former Padre), was not selected for the 2022 All-Star Game. France ranks among the biggest snubs as the slugger has dominated in 2022. France was a finalist to start at first base going up against Vlad Guerrero Jr. However, it turns out that France missed out on both opportunities but teammate and rookie Julio Rodriguez made the team. France is batting .308 on the year with 10 homers and 45 RBIs. He missed time due to an injury but hasn't missed a beat since returning. Rodriguez is batting .274 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs. They both have 89 hits on the year while France has 34 fewer ABs.
Alright, enough with the rant. The Mariners' offense is elite right now with Eugenio Suarez hitting well and veteran Carlos Santana on the squad helping turn around the club. If this lineup can keep it going tonight then they should cover this spread with ease.
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
There is a lot to talk about with the Mariners. As for the Nationals, it's hard to find anything exciting right now. Superstar Juan Soto isn't even playing that well right now as he is batting just .243 on the season. The lefty has 17 homers and only 37 RBIs on the year as he isn't batting with many runners on base. Josh Bell and Nelson Cruz are potential trade candidates as the organization can get some solid prospects in return if they decide to rebuild. It's hard to understand the reason for the Cruz signing in the first place. This lineup must find a way to get back on track or else the Nats won't be covering many spreads.
Pitching for the Nationals tonight is rookie Josiah Gray. It's been an up and down year for the youngster but he is coming off of a huge performance. He pitched six innings against the Philadelphia Phillies and struck out 11. He allowed two runs off of four hits in the win over their rivals. That was his first win in his last five starts so the good news is that he is fresh off of pitching at his potential. If Gray can repeat that performance against the hot Mariners, then Washington has a slight chance of covering.
Final Mariners-Nationals Prediction & Pick
I like the Mariners to cover this spread. Their foot is on the gas pedal right now and they have a favorable matchup in front of them.
Final Mariners-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Mariners -1.5 (+142)
