After the excitement that Tuesday’s matchup provided in the opener of a best-of-five American League Divisional Series matchup, the Houston Astros will again welcome in the AL West rival Seattle Mariners. The former will aim to take a commanding 2-0 lead on the MLB standings.
The clash will see the first pitch at 3:37 p.m. at Minute Maid Park. As for the MLB injury report, there are no significant changes on either team. Let’s revisit Game 1 before making Astros vs Mariners picks.
In a whirlwind, the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez had the biggest hit of Game 1 between these two clubs, smacking a walk-off, three-run homer to right field.
The hosts were down to their last out and were up against a Cy Young Award winner in Robbie Ray. Not usually used as a reliever, the plan didn’t go accordingly for the guests.
The Mariners led the entire game up until that point, in large part because of their ability to plate four runs in the first two innings. Center fielder Julio Rodriguez and first baseman Ty France both had a pair of RBIs in the loss.
Alvarez, who was in the conversation for AL MVP earlier this season, was big for the home team, piling up five runs driven in. Third baseman Alex Bregman added two more.
The guests will aim to atone for the disappointing loss and turn this into a best-of-three situation. After an offensive onslaught for both sides, though, this one might be different with the level of pitching that both crews bring to the table. Of course, after seeing Justin Verlander get uncharacteristically tagged, you can’t ever be sure.
Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners Odds
Before making some Astros vs Mariners picks, it would be wise to look at the odds. Looking at the Astros odds, Houston is favored in this one, listed at -1.5 on the run line at +150. Seattle is -182 to cover the spread.
On the money line, the Astros are -154, while the Mariners are +130 underdogs. The total is set at 6.5 runs, with the over being -120 and the under -102.
Matchup Information
Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners Betting Preview
On the mound for the home team will be 28-year-old southpaw Framber Valdez. According to the MLB team stats, Valdez tallied a 17-6 record during the regular season, ranking third in the major leagues when it came to wins. His 2.82 ERA almost cracked the top 10 in that category. He also had a 1.16 WHIP.
Valdez last took the rubber on Oct. 5, facing Philadelphia. In that performance, he went five innings, giving up only two hits and holding the Phillies scoreless. In fact, he’s shown to be an extremely reliable hurler when it comes to eating up frames, being that the last time he was pulled before completing five innings was in his second start of the season.
For Seattle, right-hander Luis Castillo is scheduled to be on the hill. He had an 8-6 mark this campaign, to go with a 2.99 ERA. In his last outing, a Wild Card matchup with Toronto, he was spectacular. He lasted 7.1 innings and didn’t allow a run.
The Mariners will hope that he can do more of the same in this one. They acquired him from Cincinnati in a trade this past summer.
Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners Betting Preview
As promised, we’re now going to make our Astros vs Mariners picks. If the initial contest of this series is any indication, this slate might be the most worth watching during these MLB playoffs so far.
While Houston did a lot better in the regular season, taking the division crown and pinning up the only 100-win season of any AL squad, Seattle showed a lot of fight. If they can get to Justin Verlander, who’s been lights-out the entire year, they can get to anybody.
However, a walk-off loss is a backbreaker, and you have to factor in the momentum swings at this point in the campaign. Because of that, you should go with the Astros to cover the spread and push the Mariners to the brink of elimination.
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