The Seattle Mariners (17-14) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (11-20) on Friday, May 3rd. This game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and televised on None. The Astros are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Mariners are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Braves. First pitch is set for 8:10 ET.
Mariners vs Astros
Seattle is coming off a game in which they wasted several good performances. In their 5-2 loss to Atlanta, Julio Rodriguez went 3/5 with a run scored. They also got a good start from Yusei Kikuchi, going six innings and giving up just one run while striking out seven. However, the Mariners couldn’t close things out, and Emerson Hancock took the loss out of the bullpen.
Seattle was the +155 underdog at home going into this game. Things started off well for the Mariners, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Braves scored four times in the top of the 4th. Seattle’s offense scored their other run in the 5th but didn’t have any other timely hitting.
Seattle is 17-14 overall heading into today’s road matchup vs. the Astros. The Mariners hold a half-game lead over the Rangers for the AL West lead. So far, they are 2-1 in divisional games this year. The Mariners have been good at home, going 11-8, and they are at .500 at 6-6 on the road.
As the favorite, the Mariners have gone 11-7 this year and 4-1 as the favorite on the road. Seattle’s overall series record is 5-4-1, and they have won five straight series. This includes having won two straight series on the road. Their most recent series win came vs. the Braves.
Seattle has been a pretty average team in terms of run differential this season, with a scoring margin of +0.3 runs per game. They have gone 15-16 against the run line overall, and are 6-6 on the run line on the road. They have been favored in 18 games this season, going 8-10 against the run line in those contests.
Seattle’s games have gone under the total in nine straight, and the Mariners have an over/under record of 7-22 on the season. The combined run average in their games is 6.9, and the over/under line for today’s game against the Astros is set at 8 runs.
George Kirby Gets The Start For The Mariners
Seattle is sending right-hander George Kirby to the mound today vs. the Astros. He has made six starts this year and has a record of 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA. Kirby’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.11. In his 32 1/3 innings of work, he has issued just four walks compared to 10.58 strikeouts per nine innings. Kirby’s most recent outing was a good one, as he went seven innings vs. the Diamondbacks, giving up no runs, and picking up the win. He finished with 12 strikeouts in that outing.
Mariners Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Mariners are batting just .219 this season, which is 20th in the league. They have also been striking out a lot, and their team on-base percentage of .297 is 24th. Seattle’s offense has been bad at home this season, averaging just 3.1 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. Overall, they are 26th in the league at 3.6 runs per contest.
Julio Rodríguez has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/28 in his last seven games. For the season, he is batting .270 and has one home run. Mitch Haniger is just 9th on the team in batting average at .217 but does have a team-high 18 RBIs and is 7th in the league in home runs. He has gone deep four times so far this season.
Houston closed out their series vs. the Guardians with an impressive 8-2 win. Heading into the game, the Astros were the slight favorite at -137 on the money line. It was a big third inning that really turned things in their favor, as the Astros scored seven runs in the inning. Houston’s offense was carried by Jon Singleton, who went 2/3 with a homer and three RBIs.
Spencer Arrighetti got the start for the Astros, going 5 2/3 innings, and picked up the win. He only gave up two runs on four hits and issued just three walks. Houston’s bullpen closed things out with Tayler Scott picking up the save.
Houston is 11-20 overall, putting them 4th in the AL West, six games behind the Mariners for the division lead. So far, they have gone 4-3 in divisional matchups. The Astros won their series vs. the Guardians and come into today’s game 4-6 across their last 10 games.
At home, the Astros are 6-10 this year compared to a 5-10 mark on the road. As the underdog, Houston has dropped three straight, and they are 2-3 overall as the underdog. The Astros’ series record is 4-5-1 this year, and they have won two straight series.
When the Astros win, they tend to win big, with an average run margin of 5.3 runs per game. But when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.7 runs per game. Their overall run line record is 11-20, with a run line record of 6-10 at home and 5-10 on the road. They are 8-18 against the run line as the favorite and 3-2 as the underdog.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs is the lowest line set for an Astros game this season. Houston’s games have averaged 9.7 runs per game, and their over/under record is 10-19. The over has hit in 90.3% of their games this season, and their games have had an average over/under line of 10 runs.
Ronel Blanco Gets The Start For The Astros
After starting the season with a win against the Rangers, Ronel Blanco has picked up a win and a no-decision in his last two starts. Blanco has been solid, as he has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his starts so far. He has also been able to rack up the strikeouts, as he has 18 through his first three outings.
Astros Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Astros are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. At home, they have been even better, putting up 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are one of the best home run hitting teams in the league and have the league’s best team batting average. Houston also does a great job of putting the ball in play, as they have the fewest strikeouts in the league.
Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker have been two of the Astros’ top power threats this season, with Altuve batting .352 with seven homers and Tucker also having gone deep eight times while batting .291. Altuve is on a four-game hitting streak and has gone 10/30 in his last seven games. Tucker has also been hot of late, going 8/26 with three homers in his last seven games.
Mariners vs Astros Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Mariners vs. Astros matchup is to take the Astros on the money line, with the payout sitting at -119. We have the Astros winning this one by a score of 5-4, meaning you could also look to take the over, as the line is currently sitting at 8 runs.
Looking at today’s starters, Ronel Blanco is projected to finish with four strikeouts, and he has the fifth-best chances of picking up a win among today’s starters. As for George Kirby, he is projected to finish with five K’s and has the 20th best projections for starters today.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 3, 2024 Astros, Mariners