The feel-good story that is the Seattle Mariners will add another chapter when they hit the road to square off with the mighty Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park Tuesday afternoon. The opener of the American League Divisional Series bill will start at 3:37 PM. This should be one of the most exciting MLB matchups of the day.
The hosts have been the ones to have better success in the clubs’ season set, winning a dozen of their 19 meetings.
Does that trend hold true here? Let’s take a deep dive into these crews before we look at Astros vs Mariners odds and make some free MLB picks today.
Seattle survived and advanced on the road against Toronto, sweeping the Blue Jays in a best-of-three slate. In the first contest on Friday, the Mariners leaped out to an early advantage, and starting hurler Luis Castillo, a trade acquisition this summer, did the rest.
He went 7.1 frames, allowing the home team six hits and no runs. He also fanned five challengers.
The next day, Seattle moved on by coming back from down seven and defeating Toronto, 10-9. Second baseman Adam Frazier notched the go-ahead double in the top of the ninth inning, plating backstop Cal Raleigh.
The Mariners made the postseason as a Wild Card and, according to the MLB standings, finished 16 games behind the Astros in the AL West. They went 44-37 on the road in the regular season and closed out the schedule with a 90-72 mark.
Houston got to enjoy a few days off while waiting for their opponent, earning that right by winning the most games in the Junior Circuit this year. They went 106-56 overall while winning 55 home games, the most of any major league team besides the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers.
Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez has been the driving force behind the Astros’ offense, which rounded out as MLB’s 12th-best in terms of batting average during the regular season. Alvarez hit .306 — the seventh-highest mark in the big leagues — and also slugged 37 home runs. His OPS was 1.019, and he had 97 runs driven in.
Second baseman Jose Altuve turned in a .300 batting average, while right fielder Kyle Tucker piled up 107 RBIs. Shortstop Jeremy Pena is day-to-day on the MLB injury report, while designated hitter Michael Brantley is on the 60-day injured list and won’t return this year.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Odds
Looking at Astros vs Mariners odds, the bookmakers favor the Astros at -210. Currently, the MLB odds are not listed yet for the run line. The Mariners are +176 on the moneyline.
Early on in the playoffs, Raleigh paces the Seattle order with a .500 batting average over eight at-bats. Along with third baseman Eugenio Suarez and shortstop J.P. Crawford, he’s pushed across three runs. Raleigh and designated hitter Carlos Santana have gone yard.
Matchup Information
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 11, 3:37 PM
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners Betting Preview
The home team will trot out veteran right-hander Justin Verlander, who seems to just get better as he ages. His 18 wins on the mound were the second-most of any pitcher this campaign. His 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP were both the best in all of MLB.
It appears that the Mariners will go with Logan Gilbert, who was 13-6 during the regular season and pinned up a 3.20 ERA.
Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners Betting Preview
Having gone over the MLB player stats and seen the Astros vs Mariners odds, it’s time to choose what we should wager on for this matchup. Playoff baseball is a magical thing, and it’s been fun to watch what Seattle can do so far. The Mariners suffered through a lengthy postseason drought, so they bring an entertaining quality to this one.
When it comes down to it, going with Astros picks are the safe bet; I would stay away from the Dodgers betting picks. Houston’s pitching makes it special.
The team had an AL-best 2.90 ERA in the regular season. Putting their ace out there on a good amount of rest will help them cover the spread in this one.
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