The Los Angeles Angels will take on the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make an Angels-Mariners prediction and pick.

 

This rare five-game series carries a ton of weight for both of these teams. The Angels are currently 29-35 after a huge losing streak, a record that has them 10.5 games behind first place in the AL West. The Mariners are only slightly worse with a 28-35 mark on the year. Both teams desperately need to begin to turn things around if they want to keep things close with the first-place Houston Astros. A five-game set against a division rival is the perfect opportunity for both teams to not only improve their standing but to completely sink another team in the division. With so much at stake, this should be an entertaining game, so let's get into the pick.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Angels-Mariners MLB odds.

MLB Odds: Angels-Mariners Odds

Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+136) ML: (-126)

Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-164) ML: (+108)

Over: 7.5 (+104)

Under: 7.5 (-127)

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Why The Angels Could Cover the Spread

The Angels will deploy superstar pitcher Shohei Ohtani in this game. Ohtani has had an efficient year on the mound and at the plate, earning himself a 3.64 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP on the season. Those numbers are more than strong enough to deal with a mediocre Seattle offense. The Mariners rank in the bottom half of the league in almost every single major batting stat, and it helps that they have very little familiarity with the two-way star. Despite being in the same division, only four hitters in the Seattle lineup have ever faced Ohtani. A good outing from the righty could certainly be in store here.

In addition to being a bad statistical offense, the Mariners have been one of the coldest teams in the league recently. They've scored more than five runs once in their last six games while being shut out twice in that span. It's hard to see the Mariners picking up the offensive production against Ohtani, an elite pitcher that the Seattle lineup has almost zero familiarity with.

Why The Mariners Could Cover the Spread

Seattle will deploy a pretty solid pitcher here too. George Kirby has been a pleasant surprise for the Mariners, earning a 3.65 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP through seven starts. The rookie has been decent, and now he'll face a slumping Los Angeles offense that really doesn't have much going for them. The Angels were nearly no-hit on Wednesday night by Tyler Anderson of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they've really only had one good offensive day in their last nine games. It's fair to expect Kirby to continue that trend and pitch a good game against LA here.

The Mariners will benefit from playing in T-Mobile Park in this game. Ohtani has been significantly worse when he pitches on the road, allowing his opponents to hit .260 against him compared to .200 when he plays at home. The Mariners' offense is also significantly better at home, as they earn higher numbers in just about every single major batting category when they play in front of their home fans.

Final Angels-Mariners Prediction & Pick

Neither side of the spread looks good here. Picking the Angels' moneyline is a reasonable prospect, and is likely the best pick on the board. The under is also an acceptable play.

Final Angels-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Angels ML (-126) & under 7 (-128)