The Houston Astros (17-16) wrap up their three game series with the Seattle Mariners (16-17) in a rubber match Sunday afternoon. Check out our MLB odds series as we hand out an Astros-Mariners prediction and pick while we let you know how to watch.
The Astros are struggling without Jose Altuve so far this season. Luis Garcia just received some bad news as he is set to get Tommy John surgery, so the Astros will be without him for the remainder of the season. Houston always has some good prospects ready to come up to the big leagues, though. They also still have Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena and Alex Bregman to lead the charge until Altuve can return. In this series, those four are a combined 10-28. The rest of the team only has six hits in 37 at-bats. The Astros will need some of their other players to step up on Sunday if they want to walk away with a series win.
Seattle is not having the season people expected them to. They are under .500 and sit fourth place in the AL West. Jarred Kelenic is hitting .300, but besides him, the Mariners have just one other player batting above .250. In this series so far, though, the Mariners are swinging it well. They do not have any home runs, but they are batting .294 as a team and have out-hit the Astros in both games. Seattle will need to keep up their offensive production on Sunday.
The starting pitchers for this game will be Brandon Bielak for the Astros (who is making just his ninth career start in the MLB) and Bryce Miller for the Mariners.
Here are the Astros-Mariners MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Astros-Mariners Odds
Houston Astros: +1.5 (-184)
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (+152)
Over: 8 (-122)
Under: 8 (+100)
How To Watch Astros vs. Mariners
TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, Root Sports Northwest
Stream: MLB TV Subscription
Time: 4:10 PM ET/1:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros are facing a team that has the worst batting average in the MLB. Seattle is also bottom-10 in slugging and on-base percentage. Houston should not be having the problem they are with the Mariners' hitters. The Astros are second in the MLB in ERA, fourth in strikeouts and they have the seventh lowest WHIP. The Astros need to get back to how they were pitching before this series.
Brandon Bielak is on the mound in this game and he pitched very well in his last game. He threw four innings of relief and allowed just two hits and two runs while striking out six. He Threw 75 pitches in that game, so the Astros should be able to stretch him out a little bit in this one. If he can have another good game against an offense that is not good, the Astros will cover this spread.
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
Bryce Miller had an outstanding debut against the Oakland Athletics. He struck out 10 batters in six innings of work and allowed just two hits. He has the stuff and the potential to be very good in this league for a long time. He will have a tough matchup against Houston, though. Luckily, the Astros are bottom half of the league in batting average and they have the fifth worst slugging percentage. Houston has not been hitting the ball well and when they do, it is not for power. Miller should be able to have another good game against a weaker Houston offense. He will not need to throw a shutout, but as long as he can have a quality start, the Mariner should be able to cover this spread.
Final Astros-Mariners Prediction & Pick
The Astros need to get a long outing from Bielak. If he can go five or six innings, the Astros should be able to keep this game close. Expect the Astros to pitch it well and cover this spread.
Final Astros-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Astros +1.5 (-184), Over 8 (-122)
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