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It’s nothing short of a must-win game for both Oakland and Seattle in the AL wild-card race on Monday as the two open a huge series. As things stand, neither would make the playoffs. The Mariners are short favorites on the MLB odds for Monday’s opener.

How to Bet A’s at Mariners MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 10:10 PM ET
Where: T-Mobile Park
Probable pitchers (away/home): Cole Irvin/Chris Flexen
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: Mariners -109, A’s -101 (total 8.5)

Why Bet on Oakland?

The A’s currently sit three games out of the AL’s second wild-card spot. Oakland won its third in a row Sunday, 4-3 over Houston. Mark Canha went 2-for-5 with two RBI including the walk-off hit. The 32-year-old outfielder has hit .233/.359/.394 with 17 homers, 91 runs scored, 61 RBI, and 12 steals this year.

However, the A’s lost two players to the injured list over the weekend in Jed Lowrie and Elvis Andrus. Lowrie is dealing with a sprained right hand and would be eligible to be activated for the final game of t he regular season if it matters. Andrus fractured his left fibula while scoring the winning run on Saturday versus the Astros so his season is over. Second baseman Josh Harrison left Sunday’s game with an apparent injury as well.

A’s pinch hitters lead the American League in hits (33) and plate appearances (156), are tied for the lead in home runs (4), rank second in RBI (24) and extra base hits (10) and tied for second in doubles (6). The 33 hits and 24 RBI are second most by A’s pinch hitters over the last 23 years (had 34 hits in 2015 and 25 RBI in 2019).

It’s Cole Irvin (10-14, 3.99 ERA) on the mound here. Irvin allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts over five innings in a loss against the Mariners last Wednesday. Irvin had gone through three scoreless innings before Kyle Seager put the Mariners on the board with a solo homer in the fourth inning. A pair of base hits brought one more run home in the fourth before Ty France added a solo homer in the fifth. Irvin tossed 58-of-93 pitches for strikes.

Irvin is 2-4 with a 5.77 ERA and .943 OPS over his last eight starts. His 14 losses are tied for the most in the American League and are the most by an A’s pitcher since Jesse Chavez had 15 in 2015. Irvin is tied for fourth in the AL in fewest walks per nine innings (2.02), is second in fewest strikeouts per nine innings and sixth in fewest home runs per nine innings (1.06). He is averaging 15.0 pitches per inning, which is the fewest in the AL and second fewest in the majors. Irvin is 0-4 with a 7.56 ERA in four career starts vs. Seattle, all coming this year.

Why Bet on Seattle?

The Mariners own a 17-9-2 series record since June 14, winning or splitting 19 of their last 28. The Mariners own a 25-19-5 overall series record this season. The Mariners are 33-18 (.647) in 1-run games, leading MLB with 33 one-run victories.

Seattle comes off a 5-1 win at the Angels on Sunday. Rookie Jarred Kelenic went 2-for-4 with a home run. The 22-year-old outfielder has mostly struggled on the year, hitting .174/.255/.347. Though he has managed 14 homers and six stolen bases with seven of those home runs coming in September.

Jake Fraley went 1-for-4 with a double, three RBI, three strikeouts and a stolen base in the win. He came through when it counted with a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning to extend Seattle’s one-run lead to a four-run margin. He went on to steal third base for his 10th swipe of the season. The 26-year-old has received regular playing time since returning from injury earlier this month, though Fraley hasn’t produced with a .148/.294/.222 line in 11 games.

It’s Chris Flexen (13-6, 3.56) on the mound here. Flexen allowed one run on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over six innings in a 4-1 win over the A’s last Wednesday. The one run came on a solo homer by Matt Chapman in the fifth inning. Flexen allowed just four other baserunners, throwing 59-of-93 pitches for strikes while generating nine whiffs to strike out seven batters.

Seattle owns a 20-9 record in Flexen’s 29 starts. He is 7-1, 4.06 (37 ER, 82.0 IP) in 14 road starts this year, compared to 6-5 with a 3.09 ERA (30 ER, 87.1 IP) in 15 starts at T-Mobile Park. Flexen is 2-2 with a 3.24 ERA in four starts this year vs. Oakland.