An intriguing inter-league matchup will be in the works as the Pittsburgh Pirates make the long trip to the Pacific Northwest to do battle with the Seattle Mariners. Let's check out our MLB odds series where our Pirates-Mariners prediction and pick will be revealed.
Fresh off of a series-opening 11-6 victory over the Mariners, the Pittsburgh Pirates absolutely went to town at the plate by making Seattle's arms pay in a big way. Overall, Pittsburgh sits two games above .500 at 26-24 and are only a half-game behind the division lead in the NL East. Getting the starting nod from the mound will be the right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez. Through seven starts, the 30-year-old is 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA.
On the other side of things, the Seattle Mariners entered the season with high expectations after reaching the postseason for the first time in more than two decades but have began the 2023 season with a lackluster 26-25 record overall. Still, there is plenty of time for the Mariners to find their way to the playoffs after their historic campaign from 2022. Even more so, with five wins in their last seven games overall, starting pitcher Luis Castillo will look to tie up this series with his 3-2 record and 2.97 ERA.
Here are the Pirates-Mariners MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Mariners Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-108)
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (-111)
Over: 7.5 (-112)
Under: 7.5 (-108)
How To Watch Pirates vs. Mariners
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh/ROOT Sports Northwest
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 4:10 ET/1:10 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
Storming out of the gate to an impressive 20-8 record, the Pirates have only gone 6-16 since, but there is no doubt that last night's blowout of the Mariners was an encouraging sign moving forward.
As a whole, it was the Pittsburgh bats that tied a franchise record with seven homers which ultimately was too much for Seattle to overcome. At first glance, another repeated effort at the plate would surely get the job done, but it will be more realistic if the Pirates take care of the little things en route to covering the spread. More specifically, getting men on base at a consistent rate will prove to be vital, especially for a team that sits as a middle-of-the-pack squad with a .325 on-base percentage. While then long ball could still be in play for the Buccos, their best shot of covering and beating the Mariners two times in a row will be to string together patient and productive at-bats.
In addition, getting Vince Velasquez back into the groove of things will prove to be critical. Having not pitched since May 4th due to some right-shoulder inflammation, Velasquez will most likely need to shake off some rust to get back to his old form. Luckily, he is posted a 2.84 ERA in four career appearances versus Seattle.
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
The greatest strength that is this roster happens to be an elite pitching staff that few other teams around the league are able to replicate. In fact, Seattle has the most quality starts with 28, the third-lowest ERA at 3.60, and even boasts the top WHIP in the league at 1.16. While the offense continues to scuffle at unpredictable times, this pitching unit is as reliable as it gets which is why yesterday's outing that resulted in giving up eleven runs to the Pirates was so uncharacteristic. After surrendering 12 runs combined in their previous three games, don't expect the Seattle arms to be as lackluster.
Of course, the Mariners' efforts will be all for not if the offense doesn't show up. Believe it or not, but after belting 28 home runs as a rookie in 2o22, Julio Rodriguez has hit a bit of a sophomore slump with only eight home runs in his first 202 at-bats of the season. Obviously, Rodriguez is Seattle's most feared and dynamic hitter when he is clicking on all cylinders, but he needs to step up in this one in order for Seattle to cover.
Final Pirates-Mariners Prediction & Pick
While both of these teams come into this one with similar records, bettors should expect Seattle's pitching to return to form and to do just enough at the plate to prevail over Pittsburgh.
Final Pirates-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Mariners -1.5 (-111)
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