For the second of a three-game set, the Seattle Mariners will pay a visit to a division rival in the Houston Astros, on Tuesday night. The M’s never trailed in a heated matchup Monday, taking the first of the bill by a 7-4 final.
These teams have split their ten meetings to this point in the schedule.
The Mariners (25-30) are playing in their eighth consecutive road tilt. They’ve had a pretty good go of it so far, winning five of seven — including series triumphs over Baltimore and Texas.
Houston (35-20) dropped the last series these teams played by being outscored 13-3 in three clashes. They’ve gained a comfortable lead in the American League West as the Los Angeles Angels have stumbled mightily. They’re 8.5 games up on the Halos heading into this one.
Both having at least 27 plate appearances against Seattle in 2022, shortstop Jeremy Peña and designated hitter Michael Brantley have had their number. The two batters both have averages over .320 against the Mariners’ pitching.
Left fielder Yordan Alvarez is hitting a meager .206 at home but leads the Astros in total batting average (.288), home runs (16), and RBIs (34). He’s tied for having the second-most long balls in the majors.
Over the last week, Alvarez paced Houston with a .478 average and a half-dozen runs batted in.
Mariners at Astros Odds
MLB odds have the Astros favored on their own diamond. Houston is -1.5 on the run line at -120, while the Mariners are +100 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Astros are -255 and Seattle a +210 underdog. The total has been set at7.5 runs, with the over being -118 and the under -104 at the time of this writing.
Looking at MLB betting trends, third baseman Ty France’s lumber has been instrumental for the Mariners. His .326 average is one of the best in the majors, and he is one of a dozen players to have at least 37 RBIs.
He also is tops on the team in on-base percentage (.401) and total knocks (71). Behind him, however, only two regulars — shortstop J.P. Crawford and center fielder Julio Rodriguez — are hitting better than .238, which is the group’s collective mark.
In order to get to the starter they’ll face, the offense will need to see contributions from a handful of guys.
Matchup Information
Mariners at Astros Betting Preview
Arguably one of the bigs’ most consistent hurlers, Justin Verlander, will take the ball for the home team. There is no better than his 0.80 WHIP, and his 2.23 ERA grades out among the best in the MLB.
He won four of his five starts in May, the only team to tag him with a loss being the Mariners. After giving up six runs in as many innings his last time out against Seattle, he rebounded with a seven-frame outing against Oakland last Wednesday.
In that contest with the Athletics, he only gave up two hits. He enters with a 6-2 record.
Chris Flexen will throw for the Mariners, having punched out six challengers the last time he faced the Astros.
A right-hander, Flexen has a 4.55 ERA and a 2-6 record. Both are marks that he’d prefer to improve against one of the AL’s best squads.
In his last appearance, he turned in five innings of work, allowing three earned runs.
Mariners at Astros Picks and Predictions
It’s really hard to bet against Verlander, who should be more zeroed in on the Seattle order this time around than the last. Other than that recent hiccup, he’s been lights-out on the mound.
He’ll get his get-back tonight, showing the Mariners the level they’ll need to rise to compete.
With these MLB picks today, go for the Astros to smother the visitors, who sit ten games behind them in the grouping.
Get to betting on baseball and go with Houston to cover the game’s spread.
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