Two American League West teams trending in separate directions will gather Friday night when the Houston Astros pay a visit to the Seattle Mariners.
The Astros are coming off two straight wins against Cleveland, including a 2-1 final on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Seattle is looking to stop a two-game skid. This will be these teams’ third bill this season.
The Astros (29-16) can come out on top of their fifth game in six tries if all goes to plan. They won a series against Texas and the Guardians during a seven-game homestand.
Seattle (18-27) is a loser of six of its last seven. Their recent struggles against Oakland forced them to the bottom of the division standings. The last time the Mariners bumped into Houston, they were swept in three away games.
Seattle’s level of pitching certainly hasn’t given much help to a relatively average offense. The Mariners’ 4.35 ERA ranks 24th in the major leagues. Their 1.32 WHIP grades out as largely the same.
The team is hitting .234 and has scored 178 runs, both of which hover near the bottom third of the bigs.
Astros at Mariners Odds
MLB odds have the Astros favored to keep it rolling. Houston is -1.5 on the run line at -118, while the Mariners are +172 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Astros are -205 and Seattle a +172 underdog. The total has been set at 7.5 runs, with the over being +102 and the under -124 at the time of this writing.
The Astros have gotten it done even without particularly impressive numbers at the dish. MLB trends show that Houston has gotten to this point with a .232 average.
Over the past week, though, second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Jeremy Pena have provided a spark to the lineup. Both have a .400 average in at least 20 plate appearances.
Unfortunately, their 12 combined knocks have only produced two runs driven in. Pena leads the Astros overall with a .293 average and designated hitter Michael Brantley with a .363 on-base percentage. Left fielder Yordan Alvarez’s dozen home runs are tied for the second-most in the league.
Matchup Information
Astros at Mariners Betting Preview
Justin Verlander will throw for the visiting squad, and, as of right now, he has the lowest ERA (1.22) and WHIP (0.72) in the MLB, along with sporting a league-high six victories.
Over his last three starts, Verlander has been masterful, giving up a combined nine hits and not allowing a base runner across. He’s played Seattle twice thus far in 2022, going 14.2 frames and allowing two earned runs.
Righty Chris Flexen will go head-to-head with Verlander, but his resume this campaign doesn’t really stack up. He has a 4.98 ERA and, his last time out, let Boston score five earned runs and hit two homers in four innings. The Mariners have lost each of his last five starts.
Flexen, a fifth-year right-hander, has a career 4.86 ERA. It would be a surprise if he can outlast Houston’s hurler here.
Astros at Mariners Betting Predictions
As a whole, this year, Houston’s arms have one of the best bodies of work in baseball. Their 2.81 ERA is the best in the AL, and they’ve done a superb job of keeping other teams from going over the fences. Their 34 home runs allowed are the third-least in the show.
Although Seattle has done slightly better statistics-wise in swinging the lumber, Verlander will provide a steady veteran presence. Given the MLB betting trends, it’s not hard to see the Mariners getting shut down by one of the best hurlers of this generation.
The Astros, in the meantime, should be able to get to Flexen and create a lead for their dominant pitcher to protect. MLB picks today lean heavily toward Houston.
Take their advice and choose Houston to cover the spread if you want to make some money betting on baseball.
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