The Oakland Athletics take on the Seattle Mariners. Check out our MLB odds series for our Athletics Mariners prediction and pick.
James Kaprielian gets the starting assignment for the Athletics, while George Kirby gets the call for the Mariners.
James Kaprielian has a 4.50 ERA. He has made four appearances this year. His first one was a truncated two-inning mess against Cleveland on May 1 in which he allowed four runs. Since then, he has stabilized, giving up five runs in 16 innings, making him yet another five-inning, two-run pitcher: serviceable and competent, but not dominant and not a big innings-eater.
George Kirby has a 3.60 ERA in three starts since coming up to the big leagues earlier this month. He shut out the Rays through six innings in a terrific debut. In his next two outings, he has run into trouble, giving up eight runs in nine innings. Last week in Boston, the Red Sox got to him for five runs on eight hits in five innings. It is hard to know where Kirby's season is heading.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Athletics-Mariners MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Mariners Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-146)
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (+122)
Over: 7.5 (-105)
Under: 7.5 (-115)
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Why The Athletics Could Cover the Spread
The A's lost to the Mariners on Monday night, but they showed they won't back down from a fight. They trailed 3-0. They tied the game 3-3. They trailed 7-3. They immediately came back with three runs to close within 7-6 before losing. This team showed the Mariners that even though Seattle owned this head-to-head series last year, the 2022 Athletics are going to compete better and solve problems better than last year.
Also, George Kirby has struggled in his last two starts after a great debut outing. The A's should feel confident that they can get to Kirby, who is part of a Seattle pitching rotation which has clearly underperformed to this point in the season. This is part of the context when making an Athletics Mariners prediction. The Mariners have fallen short in so many different parts of their roster this season. The big acquisitions they made for their batting order, Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker, have both been busts to this point in the season. The fact that the Mariners traded for a pair of Cincinnati Reds, as opposed to players who have had experience on playoff teams, has been a noticeable point of conversation in Seattle in recent weeks. Beyond that, however, the Mariners' bullpen has continuously fallen on its face, and untimely defensive lapses have also been part of the mix. The A's know they are playing a team dealing with a complete crisis of confidence.
Why The Mariners Could Cover the Spread
After a 6-19 stretch of 25 games, the Mariners returned home, humiliated, and in need of a total reset. A 7-6 win over the Athletics could be the fresh start this team needed. A big night from the offense and timely late-game pitching are what the Mariners have lacked in their 25-game tailspin. Getting those ingredients back into the mix should help them, as should the fact that James Kaprielian is not a shutdown pitcher, someone the Mariner hitters can thrive against. The Mariners hammered the Athletics last year, something you should remember when you formulate an Athletics Mariners pick.
Final Athletics-Mariners Prediction & Pick
Seattle has been a massive disappointment, but Oakland has a very hollowed-out team. This is a series in which the Mariners can regroup before the month of June.
Final Athletics-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Mariners -1.5
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