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The New York Yankees will continue their road trip with another matchup against the Seattle Mariners. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Yankees-Mariners prediction and pick.
The Yankees managed to cool off Seattle on Tuesday by way of a 12-1 victory. The Mariners will look to get back on track and continue to gain as much ground as they can in the AL West before the All-Star break hits. New York is in a deep hole in the AL East, so every single game counts. Both teams have a lot to play for, and I expect this game to be much closer than the series opener.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Wednesday game.
MLB Odds: Yankees-Mariners Odds
New York Yankees ML (-107)
Seattle Mariners ML (-103)
Over 8 1/2 runs (-107)
Under 8 1/2 runs (-113)
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The Yankees exploded offensively on Tuesday night, leading to a blowout win. They don't have as easy of a matchup in this game, but there's good reason to believe that another great offensive performance is in the cards for the Bronx Bombers.
The Yankees will face Seattle starter Yusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi has been solid all season, but New York has a couple of key advantages over him. First of all, the Yankees hit left-handed pitching very well. They score a higher batting average, OBP, OPS, and slugging percentage when playing against lefties.
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Yankees hitters also seem to see Kikuchi's pitches pretty well. Of the nine projected starters in the New York lineup, six hitters hold a batting average of .333 or higher against him. The Seattle starter has been a surprisingly good pitcher this season, but this is definitely not a matchup that Kikuchi likes.
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
The Mariners were held to one run in Tuesday's game, but I don't expect that to happen again. The Yankees are sending starting pitcher Domingo German to the mound for this one, so Seattle should be able to put some runs on the board.
At a glance, German's season-long stats don't look all that bad, and they aren't. But his stats from his last seven starts tell a completely different story. Over that span, he has earned an ERA of 6.54 and a WHIP of 1.42, both terrible numbers. The Mariners should be able to take advantage of this cold streak to score some early runs.
While the Yankees' pitching situation looks shaky at best, the Mariners' starting pitcher inspires some confidence. Kikuchi has struggled against some of the New York hitters, but his last seven starts have all been fantastic. In that span, he has pitched to the tune of a 1.87 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. If Kikuchi can stay hot, there's a great chance for the Mariners to even the series score.
Final Yankees-Mariners Prediction & Pick
This game should be much closer than the series opener. The Yankees definitely have the offensive advantage in this matchup, but it's hard to trust them with German on the mound. I'll take the Mariners and Kikuchi, who has been lights out lately. Seattle should put up just enough runs to win this one and even the series at one game apiece.
FINAL PICK: Seattle Mariners ML (-103)
