The Seattle Mariners are off to their best start in franchise history, but things will get a little bit tougher this weekend.
The Houston Astros are coming to town to kick off a weekend series, and the Astros have been the class of the American League West Division for the last few seasons. Seattle did go 10-9 against the Astros a season ago, and they feel that they are a much better team this season.
Seattle has bolted out to a 13-2 start so far this season, and they come into this game with a six game winning streak. The Mariners have already built up a four game lead in the AL West, but it’s still early in the season.
Houston has also won six straight games after starting off the season slowly. The Astros bring an 8-5 record into this game.
Houston is -130 over the Mariners in the series opener.
The Seattle Mariners are hitting home runs at a historic rate, and set a new Major League Baseball record on Thursday. Seattle became the first team in Major League history to hit a home run in each of their first 15 games, and they have belted 36 homers already this season. Outfielder Jay Bruce leads the team with 7 home runs, and the Mariners also lead the league with 117 runs this season.
Pitching hasn’t been as consistent for the Mariners this season, but they have been good enough to help out their offense. Seattle has posted a team earned run average of 3.98 so far this season, and have 0 quality starts. Wade LeBlanc is off to a 2-0 start this season, but has a hefty earned run average of 4.76.
The Houston Astros have been getting terrific starting pitching this season, and their starters have already racked up nine quality starts. Houston has a team earned run average of 3.29, and they will have their two best starters lined up for the weekend. Wade Miley will make the start on Friday night, and he has pitched well so far this season. Miley is just 1-1 but has a terrific earned run average of just 2.31. If the Astros are going to win games this series then they are going to have to keep the Mariners in the park.
Houston hasn’t been belting home runs as frequently as the Mariners have, but their lineup has been pretty good as well. The Astros have a team batting average of .282, but have managed just 51 total runs this season. Jose Altuve is off to a terrific start this season, and leads the team with five home runs and 16 hits. The Astros are going to start cashing in their baserunners before too long.
Seattle has been belting home runs left and right this season, but at some point it is going to stop. Look for the Astros pitching staff to put an end to the streak this weekend, and they will prove their dominance once again. The Mariners are going to be a playoff contender all season long, but Houston is going to win their 7th straight game on Friday night. Bet the Houston Astros -130 over the Seattle Mariners.
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