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The Seattle Mariners will play the second of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Mariners-Twins prediction and pick.
The Mariners defeated the Twins 2-1 in an exhilarating Opening Day victory over the Twins. AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray was magnificent in his Mariners debut. He threw seven innings, giving up one earned run on three scattered hits. The Mariners scored early when Mitch Haniger slammed a two-run home run in the first inning, driving home Ty France. It would remain that way until the fourth inning.
In the fourth, Gio Urshela slugged a solo home run to deep left-center field. The score was 2-1 Mariners. However, the Seattle pitching staff held its own. In addition to Ray, Paul Sewald entered the game in the eighth inning and retired all three batters he faced. Then, Drew Steckenrider allowed one hit while picking up the save, giving the Mariners the win on Opening Day in Minnesota. Ultimately, the Marinez gave up one earned run on four hits throughout nine innings.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Mariners-Twins MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Mariners-Twins Odds
Mariners: +1.5 (-178)
Twins: -1.5 (+146)
Over: 8.5 (-105)
Under: 8.5 (-115)
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Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
Seattle has fresh arms available if they need to go to the bullpen today. Consequently, the Mariners will start Logan Gilbert. Gilbert will face the Twins for the first time in his career. In his rookie season, Gilbert went 6-5 with a 4.68 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 119 1/3 innings. Conversely, Gilbert could be a top-tier starter in the future. He throws a fastball that ranges from 95 to 98 mph. In addition to the fastball, Gilbert utilizes a slider. He will look to replicate what Ray did to the Twins.
Additionally, the Mariners need their bats to wake up. Moreover, Seattle needs France, Eugenio Suarez, and J.P. Crawford to contribute. In the opener, the three combined for one hit. Haniger needs these three to support him and build the offense up. Furthermore, the Seattle offense will need to score to support its starting pitcher. The Mariners will face Sonny Gray, who has faced them a lot in his career. Seattle must knock Gray off his rhythm to secure the victory.
The Mariners will cover the spread if Gilbert pitches well in his season debut. If he can locate his fastball and slider, then Gilbert will dominate the Twins. Likewise, Seattle will cover the spread if its offense comes alive. To do that, the Mariners must strike against Gray early and often.
Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread
Minnesota acquired Gray from the Reds a few weeks ago. It was a solid deal for a team that struggled on the mound last season. Now, Gray looks to shine against a team he is very familiar with. He is 5-3 with a 2.84 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 12 career starts against the Mariners. Consequently, Gray last faced them in 2019 as a member of the Reds. In that game, Gray pitched well, giving up three earned runs on two hits. However, he also took the loss in that game. Gray has allowed one earned run or less in seven of his 12 career starts against Seattle.
In addition to Gray, the Twins need their bats to awaken. Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Jorge Polanco, and Miguel Sano combined for one hit in the season opener against the Mariners. The Twins have the benefit of facing a young starting pitcher. Correa slugged 26 home runs and 92 RBIs in his final season with the Houston Astros last season. Therefore, the Twins expect him to put up similar numbers now that he is a member of their team. Additionally, Buxton is the spark plug of this offense. Last season, he hit .306 and could light up the offense at the top of the order. Additionally, Sano slammed 30 home runs with 75 RBIs last season. The Twins need his power to keep to knock the Mariners off balance.
Thus, the Twins need Gray to dominate the Mariners as he has done in the past. Also, Minnesota needs its offense to strike early against Gilbert, giving them the best chance to win.
Final Mariners-Twins Prediction & Pick
This game will have more offense than the season opener. Both teams will turn to their bullpens earlier than they did yesterday. Hence, the hitters will perform better than they did on Opening Day. Last season, the Mariners and Twins combined for nine or more runs in four of the six games. Expect plenty of runs and the game to go over eight runs.
Final Mariners-Twins Prediction & Pick: Over: 8.5 (-105)
