The Oakland Athletics acquired starting pitcher Homer Bailey from the Kansas City Royals over the weekend, and Bailey will make his first start in an Athletics uniform on Wednesday afternoon against the Seattle Mariners. The A’s will be favored on the MLB Odds.
How to Bet Mariners vs Athletics MLB Lines & Game Info
- When: Wednesday, 3:37 PM ET
- Where: Oakland Coliseum
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Tommy Milone/Homer Bailey
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: 95.7 The Game
- MLB Lines: TBA
Mets vs Twins MLB Odds, Preview & Prediction
Why Bet on Seattle?
The M’s have activated right-hander RHP Sam Tuivailala from the 60-day injured list. Tuivailala is finally ready to join the Mariners’ bullpen after missing the first 15 weeks of the 2019 regular season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon and a minor shoulder issue. The 26-year-old right-hander could factor into the saves mix down the stretch in Seattle, especially if Roenis Elias is traded ahead of the July 31 deadline.
The Mariners were still in playoff contention, just a few games out of the second American League Wild Card spot, the last time Tuivailala pitched in 2018. He allowed just one earned run across 5 1/3 innings in the five outings before his injury. He suffered the original injury on Aug. 8, 2018, at Texas and underwent surgery to repair the tendon Aug. 15, 2018. Not the same this year with Seattle well out of reach of the playoffs and staring down the very real possibility of 100 losses.
Rather amazingly, there has been at least 1 home run (by Seattle or its opponent) in each of the Mariners 97 games this season (entering Tuesday). That marks the longest streak in single-season MLB history, surpassing the record of 69 straight set by 3 different teams: 1985 Orioles, 2017 White Sox and 2017 Rangers.
Since making his Mariners debut on May 10, J.P. Crawford has been one of the most productive shortstops in the Major Leagues. Only five shortstops (primary position) have posted at least a .275/.345/.464 slash line since May 10.
With Felix Hernandez on the injured list, the Mariners are down a starting pitcher and it’s not clear who they will go with here as of this writing. Decent chance it’s lefty Tommy Milone (1-3, 3.40). He threw 2.1 perfect innings in a loss to the Angels last Friday. The southpaw wasn’t projected to make his first post-All-Star-break appearance until this game but Friday’s blowout defeat necessitated his presence in order to help preserve some other bullpen arms. Milone would still have the benefit of four days of rest for Wednesday’s appearance, which could even end up being a traditional start. Or he could be used simply as an opener of sorts.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.96
- Hits: 8.24
- Walks: 3.63
- Strike Outs: 9.65
- Runs: 5.99
- Hits: 9.54
- Walks: 3.29
- Strike Outs: 7.67
Why Bet on Oakland?
Oakland remains without outfielder Stephen Piscotty. He’s out with a fairly severe knee sprain and likely to miss the entire month. He’s hitting .242 with nine homers and 34 RBIs this year.
Ramón Laureano is batting .291 (27-for-94) with 10 home runs and 28 RBI over his last 26 games dating back to June 12. He’s tied for second among Major League center fielders in home runs behind Mike Trout (30). The A’s have homered in 15 consecutive games and have 29 home runs during the streak. The A’s are 17-8 (.680) in games in which the opponent starts a left-handed pitcher compared to 35-33 (.514) against right-handers. The mark against lefties is second-best in the majors to Houston (22-6).
The A’s, emboldened by their surge into playoff contention, struck on the trade front Sunday, acquiring right-handed starting pitcher Homer Bailey from Kansas City for minor-league infielder Kevin Merrell. Bailey was supposed to pitch in the Royals‘ series finale against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday before the trade happened. Because Bailey has yet to pitch in the second half, he’ll be sufficiently rested and shouldn’t face any restrictions while stepping in as Oakland’s new fifth starter.
Bailey arrives via trade for his A’s debut on a nice run after posting a 3.49 ERA over his past seven starts with the Royals. He is 1-1 with a 4.97 ERA in two career starts against the Mariners. The Royals were paying Bailey the Major League minimum salary ($550,000) — the Dodgers are paying what’s left of his $23 million contract in 2019, and the A’s will only absorb about $250,000 of that MLB minimum. Bailey has been fabulous of late, going 3-0 in his last six starts with a 2.83 ERA.
His 1.1 WAR is his best figure since 2014, while his 8.10 K/9 is his best mark since 2013. Bailey’s thrown his splitter on 27.3% of his offerings in 2019, more than eight points higher than any other season of his career. It’s a great pitch for him to lean on: According to Statcast, opponents have just a .195 xBA .250 xSLG against the split.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.18
- Hits: 8.57
- Walks: 3.32
- Strike Outs: 7.74
- Runs: 4.25
- Hits: 8.25
- Walks: 3.09
- Strike Outs: 7.79
Mariners vs Athletics Betting Trends
- Mariners are 6-22 in their last 28 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
- Athletics are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. American League West
- Mariners are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Oakland
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle’s last 6 games this season
- Athletics are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Oakland’s last 15 games played in July
Expert Final Score Prediction for Mariners vs Athletics
Seattle Mariners 5 – Oakland Athletics 6
