Two AL West rivals will square off on the diamond to kick off the weekend as the Seattle Mariners take on the Los Angeles Angels. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Mariners-Angels prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering play with a 30-31 record, the Mariners will be seeking to get back on the winning train after losing six of eight games. Currently ten games back in the division, there's no doubt that Seattle needs to start playing their best baseball starting with ace Luis Castillo and his 4-3 record to go along with a shiny 2.55 ERA.
As for the Angels, Los Angeles will fortunately have one of the best pitchers in the league with the international sensation himself in Shohei Ohtani. In twelve games started, Ohtani has generated a 5-2 to record with a 3.30 ERA. In his last start which resulted in a 6-2 loss to the Astros, Ohtani logged in a quality start of six innings pitched but gave up five runs. Overall, the Angels come into Friday with a 34-30 record and are only 2.5 games behind the final Wild Card spot.
Here are the Mariners-Angels MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Mariners-Angels Odds
Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-196)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+162)
Over: 7.5 (-105)
Under: 7.5 (-115)
How To Watch Mariners vs. Angels
TV: Apple TV
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 9:30 ET/6:30 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
For starters, the recipe for success in terms of covering the spread comes in the form of an elite pitching staff that remains as one of the best in baseball. At first look, the Mariners have logged together the most quality starts in the majors at 32. In addition, Seattle has done an excellent job at keeping batting averages low and also boasts a fairly solid 4.02 ERA. With an offense that is currently struggling to score runs, having the type of pitching staff that Seattle has is something nice to fall back on.
Most importantly, the Mariners will be going up against Ohtani with their remarkable hurler in Luis Castillo. On paper, Castillo has been a menace when pitching against the Angels as he has tallied a flawless 2-0 record with a 1.93 ERA in three career starts versus Los Angeles. Alas, riding the right arm of Castillo certainly seems like a go-to strategy to cover the spread.
Above all else, the Mariners have to make it a priority to get the offense going at the plate. While Seattle will certainly have a difficult task against Ohtani, their situation of coming out on top later this evening won't improve anymore if they continue to stand men on base and in scoring position. In their 10-3 loss coming at the hands of the Padres on Wednesday, the team left nine runners on base and failed to capitalize at the dish when it mattered most. Simply put, Seattle must be disciplined and string together good at-bats when there is an opportunity to score runs.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
Coming into play with a slightly better record than their division rival Mariners, the Angels have surprisingly been playing much better over the course of their previous handful of games. In fact, the Halos are on an active four-game winning streak.
When taking a closer glance at why the Angels have been so productive of late, it has been because of a ferocious balance of play that has made it nearly impossible for the opposition to gain the upper hand. Believe it or not, but LA's pitching arms have allowed four runs or less during their winning streak. Clearly, winning baseball games comes into shape when your pitching is at its best from the mound, and the Angels will definitely have a superb chance to replicate this success with Shohei Ohtani on the bump.
Overall, Ohtani has been nearly un-hittable in his career with a perfect 5-0 record to go along with a minuscule 1.62 ERA in seven starts. Even if the offense fails to show up for play on this Friday, it is almost a near guarantee that Ohtani brings his A game against a team he has had historic success against.
Not to mention, but don't count on the Angels' offense to lay an egg even with Castillo on the mound. So far, LA has top-ten marks in runs, batting average, on-base percentage, and even slugging percentage. On paper, this is a much more statistically sound offense than the one the Mariners possess and they should be able to cross the plate more often than not en route to a possible covering of the spread.
Final Mariners-Angels Prediction & Pick
With all of the factors coming into play in this contest, side with the Angels who have been playing much better baseball as of late to treat their home fans with a spread-covering victory in convincing fashion.
Final Mariners-Angels Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5 (+162)
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