The Seattle Mariners take on the Los Angeles Angels. Check out our MLB odds series for our Mariners Angels prediction and pick.
Robbie Ray goes to the mound for the Mariners, while Jose Suarez gets the start for the Angels.
Robbie Ray has had a roller-coaster season for Seattle. His ERA was 4.97 on June 6, when the Mariners were buried in the standings and were a massive disappointment. Then Ray surged along with the Mariners as a team. He had a run of six consecutive starts in mid-to-late June and early July in which he allowed just four earned runs in 39 2/3 innings. He was nearly untouchable for a month. He then regressed in the second half of July. The Houston Astros knocked him around after the All-Star break. However, he has regrouped in August, pitching 13 1/3 innings and allowing only three runs. He limited these same Angels to one run in seven innings on Aug. 5. He has to feel good about facing the Halos again.
Jose Suarez has a 4.04 ERA, but you would never know it based on his last three starts. Suarez had a 5.60 ERA not too long ago, on July 25. Then he took the mound on July 26 and pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Royals. That began a run of three straight starts in which Suarez has not given up an earned run. He has not allowed an “earnie” in 17 1/3 innings. He has knocked 1.56 runs off his ERA in his last three starts. He is representative of the reality that the Angels, though having a generally terrible season, have actually not been that bad over the past two weeks. They won a series over the Twins, split four with the Mariners in Seattle, and are not the pushover they were for much of the past few months. They did lose in humiliating fashion on Monday night, but they were battling the Mariners on even terms — and getting good pitching — through the first eight innings of that contest.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Mariners-Angels MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Mariners-Angels Odds
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (-105)
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-114)
Over: 7.5 (-118)
Under: 7.5 (-104)
Why The Mariners Could Cover the Spread
Robbie Ray has been the pitcher the Mariners expected to get over the past month and a half. His first two months this season were a nightmare, but Ray has bounced back and shown the professionalism which has certainly been noticed in the clubhouse, where the Mariners have found new belief after starting the year so horribly. Ray versus Suarez is a pitching matchup the Mariners have to like. Winning a close game with a ninth-inning surge has to make Seattle feel great about coming to the ballyard. The Angels, meanwhile, have to be deflated about wasting another good Shohei Ohtani start.
Why The Angels Could Cover the Spread
The Angels are getting better pitching from their bullpen. They lost to the Mariners on Monday because of their defense, not their pitching. Jose Suarez is throwing the ball better than at any previous point in the season. The Angels are 14 games under .500 for the season, but in their last 10 games, they do not have a losing record. This team cratered for two full months, but in August, the Halos have shown some backbone. It's not the same team. Seattle recently lost a series against the Rangers and is not playing the great baseball it displayed during a 14-game winning streak before the All-Star break.
Final Mariners-Angels Prediction & Pick
This is a stay-away game. Yes, Robbie Ray is the better pitcher, but the Angels are a lot more competitive than they were a few weeks ago. The Angels give the Mariners a battle in every meeting between the teams. If you insist on a pick, however, naturally lean to the Mariners.
Final Mariners-Angels Prediction & Pick: Mariners -1.5
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