The Boston Red Sox take on the Seattle Mariners. Check out our MLB odds series for our Red Sox Mariners prediction and pick.FanDuel 200
Rich Hill goes to the mound for the Red Sox, while Marco Gonzales gets the starting assignment for the Mariners.

Rich Hill has a 4.40 ERA. One of a select few major-league pitchers in his 40s, “old man Hill” is not yet over the hill by any stretch. He pitched six strong innings this past Sunday against the Athletics, allowing only one run. Hill has shown at times that he can still get the job done, but he isn't relentlessly consistent.

In his first two starts of the year, Hill gave up seven runs in nine innings. In his next three starts, he pitched 13 scoreless innings. In the next four starts after that, Hill allowed 16 runs in 17 innings. Then came the high-level performance in Oakland this past weekend. Which version of Hill are the Red Sox going to get each time he goes to the mound? Your guess is as good as theirs, which is part of the mystery in this Red Sox Mariners prediction.

Marco Gonzales has a 3.59 ERA. He has been a lot more consistent than Hill, allowing more than three earned runs in only one of his 11 starts. He has thrown at least six innings in five of his last seven outings. He is a workhorse who stays away from the big inning and keeps the Mariners competitive every time he takes the mound. If the Mariners' hitting continues to improve, Gonzales will get more winning decisions this season. His last two outings happen to have been games in which Seattle didn't give him run support: a 2-1 loss to the Astros on May 29, followed by a 3-2 loss to the Rangers on June 4. If he gets more offense, the calculus of a Red Sox Mariners pick will change, and the MLB odds will become very different as a result.

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

MLB Odds: Red Sox-Mariners Odds

Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+146)

Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-178)

Over: 9 (-105)

Under: 9 (-115)

*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)

Why The Red Sox Could Cover the Spread

The Red Sox are having a great time on the West Coast, having swept Oakland and then going 3-1 in Anaheim against the Angels. The 7-1 road swing has vaulted the Red Sox into a playoff position in the six-team American League playoff race. A team which could not hit in the first five weeks of the season has begun to hit the way everyone expected it would. Boston is a very dangerous team, playing well, and going against a Seattle squad which is still several games under .500. The Red Sox outplayed and outfoxed the Mariners in Boston several weeks ago, which marked part of their revival this season.

Why The Mariners Could Cover the Spread

The Mariners had a brilliant road trip, winning all three series they played in Baltimore, Arlington, and Houston. That's right: The Mariners won road series against the Orioles, Rangers, and the defending American League champion Astros. This team has picked itself off the canvas after falling nine games below .500. The Mariners have hit the reset button and look like the team they were at the start of the season when they won 11 of their first 17 games. The bats have woken up. Julio Rodriguez and Ty France are ballers. This is a good team once again, right in the hunt for a wild card spot.

The other big reason to pick Seattle: Marco Gonzales is a better pitcher than Rich Hill. The extent to which he is superior is a point of debate, but Gonzales is clearly a better pitcher at this stage of each man's career.

Final Red Sox-Mariners Prediction & Pick

The Mariners have a history of going on great road trips and stumbling in their first home game. On the other hand, the pitching matchup is in Seattle's favor. This is a stay-away game, but if you insist on betting, the Mariners are a slightly better choice.

Final Red Sox-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Mariners +1.5