The Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners will close down their three-game series at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Wednesday, June 2, so I’ve prepared the best betting pick and odds for this AL West showdown.
The Mariners won the opener as +118 dogs last Monday, 6-5, as we saw a great battle that lasted for ten innings. I’ll exclude Tuesday’s middle contest from the analysis, while the Athletics are listed as -140 favorites to win the closer. The Mariners are +130 underdogs with a total of 8.0 runs on BetRivers Sportsbook.
The Athletics haven’t been at their best lately but still top the AL West
The Oakland Athletics fell to 31-25 on the season with that narrow defeat at the Mariners this past Monday. It was their third straight loss and sixth in their previous nine games overall, but the A’s are still the best team in the AL West, just half a game ahead of the Houston Astros.
Oakland is tallying 4.12 runs per game (18th in the majors) while posting a .226 batting average (26th) and .400 slugging percentage (tied-12th). The A’s smacked 70 home runs (6th) and 88 doubles (7th), so they can be satisfied with their offensive performance through the first two months of the season.
On the other side of the ball, the A’s are yielding 4.32 runs per contest (17th in the MLB). Sean Manaea will get the starting call Wednesday, and he’s 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 11 starts this season. The 29-year-old southpaw is 6-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 12 career starts against the Mariners. He’ll get Seattle for the first time this season.
The Mariners finished May on a five-game winning streak
The Seattle Mariners improved to 28-27 on the season following Monday’s big win over Oakland. It was their fifth victory in a row and seventh in their last eight outings, as the Mariners hold the third spot in the AL West, a couple of games behind the Astros, and 2.5 games behind the Athletics.
Seattle is scoring only 3.78 runs per game (23rd in the majors) on the worst batting average in baseball (.205). However, the Mariners posted a .233 batting average through their previous six games overall along with a .684 OPS (14th-best in the majors).
Chris Flexen will toe the slab Wednesday, getting his first career start against Oakland. The 26-year-old righty is 5-2 with a 4.34 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in nine starts this season. The Mariners are yielding 4.55 runs per game (19th), while Flexen has surrendered 13 earned runs over his last four starts and 20.2 frames of work.
Trends:
Oakland:
- 14-5 in Sean Manaea’s last 19 starts
Seattle:
- N/A
MLB Picks
Last week, the Mariners won a three-game set in Oakland, 2-1. Meanwhile, they swept Texas in a four-game home series, so I’m expecting to see some regression in this tough matchup against Sean Manaea and the Athletics who’ll seek revenge.
The A’s arguably own way more offensive firepower than Seattle. Manaea is 0-1 in his last six starts, while the A’s have been victorious in eight of his previous ten outings, so the lefty will certainly demand more run support from his teammates.
On the other side, Chris Flexen tossed seven scoreless innings last time out. However, he’s been pretty inconsistent lately, and over the last two weeks, the Mariners’ pitching staff has recorded a 4.82 ERA (26th in the majors).
Pick: Take Oakland Athletics at -140
The Total:
Both Seattle and Oakland struggle to hit well, so it’s strange that the under is 4-1 in their last five games overall. Their previous two head-to-head duels went in the over, but the under is 10-6-2 in the previous 18 encounters between Oakland and Seattle.
I’m expecting a strong performance from Sean Manaea, and if Chris Flexen puts on a solid display, these two teams shouldn’t provide a high-scoring affair.
Pick: Go under 8.0 runs at -115