The line-ups that each team has now are what they are going to have all the way until the end of the season unless of course, they call up some prospects from AAA. This is the stage of the season where the teams likely to take a serious run at the World Series are going to step it up a notch and start to separate themselves from the pack. That said, there are a few teams who already look as though they are definitely going to be playing beyond the end of the regular season, as there are some division leads that look to be about as safe as it gets.
One team that looks like a lock to be playing in the postseason is the Houston Astros. Not only do they have a sizeable lead in the division, but they are also not slowing down, plus they made a huge splash at the trade deadline that showed everyone just how serious they are about winning it all this year. They will open up a weekend series at home to the Seattle Mariners on Friday. The Astros are favored by 1 ½, with the run total set at 10.
Mariners vs Astros MLB Odds, Game Info & Prediction
- When: Friday, August 2 at 8:10 PM EST
- Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston
- Starting Pitchers: Kikuchi vs. Miley
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Radio: 610 AM
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Odds: Houston Astros -290 (Total 10)
How to Bet Angels vs Indians MLB Spread & Game Analysis
Why bet on the Seattle Mariners?
If there is one positive thing that we can say about the Seattle Mariners, it’s that they are always fun to watch, assuming of course that you are a fan of baseball games with a ton of offense. This is a team that started the season on fire, but who quickly went off the rails after it became clear that they were not going to be able to keep opponents off the board.
The perfect example of the Mariners style could be seen in their last series against the Texas Rangers, a 2-game series that was split with 29 total runs scored. The Mariners are a rather awful 21-32 on the road this season, but perhaps more importantly, they are just 1-9 versus the Astros. As a road dog, the Mariners are 22-21 ATS. They will have Yusei Kikuchi (4-7, 5.21 ERA) on the mound.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.01
- Hits: 8.41
- Walks: 3.60
- Strike Outs: 9.75
- Runs: 5.82
- Hits: 9.48
- Walks: 3.07
- Strike Outs: 7.67
Why bet on the Houston Astros?
The Astros proved to be the talk of the trade deadline with their move to land pitcher Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks. His addition to the starting rotation has a lot of people thinking that the Astros have become the team to beat in the AL. The reality, though, is that they were already there before swinging that deal, sitting 70-40 on the season.
It has been playing at home, though, that has really helped the Astros build up an 8-game lead in the NL West, as they are a very impressive 38-15 in their own building. Catching this team is going to be nigh on impossible for other teams in the West, with the Astros staying consistent and winning 7 of their last 10 games. The Astros are 26-26 ATS as a home favorite. It will be Wade Miley (9-4, 3.06 ERA) who starts for Houston.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.19
- Hits: 9.25
- Walks: 3.79
- Strike Outs: 7.20
- Runs: 4.07
- Hits: 7.41
- Walks: 2.80
- Strike Outs: 10.14
Red Sox vs Yankees MLB Lines & Pick for Friday Night
Mariners vs Astros MLB Betting Trends
- Mariners are 1-10 SU in their last 11 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle’s last 6 games played in August
- Astros are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston’s last 8 games this season
- Mariners are 96-83 against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons
- Astros are 3-8 against the money line in home games in August games over the last 2 seasons
- Kikuchi is 0-0 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.800
- Miley is 2-1 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 3.47 and a WHIP of 1.247
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Mariners vs Astros
These are two teams who are pretty far apart in terms of talent, which explains why the Astros are 9-1 in this regular-season series. I expect them to improve on that record on Friday night.
Score: Seattle Mariners 2 – Houston Astros 7
