The only way to truly measure how good, or bad, a team might be is to look at a decent sized sample of games played when the team is at full strength. You often hear players and coaches talking about injuries not being a valid excuse for a poor run of form, but the reality is that losing a key player or two can upset the delicate balance of any team. There are, of course, always exceptions to that rule, as we very often see bench players rise up when big-name players go down. We have certainly seen it with the New York Yankees this season, a team that continues to win despite having as many as 13 players on the DL.

The Houston Astros are another team that is defying those injury odds, cranking our win after win despite seeing a few of their best players stuck on the bench with injuries. The Astros are rolling right now and will look to keep doing so against the plummeting Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. It will be no great surprise to learn that Houston are favored by 1 ½, while the run total for this one has been set at 9.

Astros vs Mariners MLB Odds, Game Preview & Expert Pick

• When: Wednesday, June 5 at 10:07 PM EST
• Where: T-Mobile Park, Seattle
• TV: RTNW
• Radio: Houston / Seattle
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• Starting Pitchers: Peacock Vs Leake
• MLB Odds: Astros -1.5 (-105)

Why bet on the Houston Astros?

Even with the likes of Altuve, Correa, and Springer all out with injuries, the Astros continue to keep trucking along at a pace that must be truly alarming to every other team in the MLB. The Astros are now sitting at 42-20 on the season after going on a 5-game win streak and winning 8 of their last 10 games. That overall record has seen them open up a big 10-game gap at the top of the AL West, a lead that, even at this relatively early stage of the season, is beginning to look insurmountable.

Houston has now improved to 20-12 on the season on the road and they have won all 5 games played versus the Mariners this season. As a road favorite, they are 15-14 ATS. They will send Brad Peacock (5-2, 3.17 ERA) to the mound for this one.

Team Statistics

• Runs: 5.23
• Hits: 9.18
• Walks: 3.68
• Strike Outs: 6.74

• Runs: 3.50
• Hits: 6.77
• Walks: 2.65
• Strike Outs: 9.82

Why bet on the Seattle Mariners?

It is easy to forget that the Mariners jumped out to a 13-2 record at the start of the season, especially now that they have dropped all the way down to 25-39 on the season. It’s an almost unbelievable drop-off, but it’s also one that is easy to see where it all went wrong. The Mariners are likely going to be the first team to conceded 400 runs this season, as they are just 5 runs away from that mark heading into this game against one of the most potent offenses that the MLB has to offer.

The Mariners have now lost 4 in a row, are just 2-8 in their last 10 games, and are just 12-21 at home. They have only covered the spread twice in those last 10 outings. Seattle will start Mike Leake (4-6, 4.71 ERA) on Wednesday.

Team Statistics

• Runs: 4.94
• Hits: 8.17
• Walks: 3.66
• Strike Outs: 9.78

• Runs: 6.17
• Hits: 9.72
• Walks: 3.27
• Strike Outs: 7.70

Astros vs Mariners MLB Betting Trends

• Astros are 5-0 SU in the last 5 games
• The total went UNDER in 14 of the Astros’ last 19 games
• Seahawks are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games
• The total went OVER in 8 of the Seahawks last 11 games played on a Wednesday

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I simply don’t see any way in which the Mariners come up with the win here. Even if Leake pitches well and keeps them in it, things are likely to start falling apart once the bullpen gets called into action.

Houston Astros 7 Seattle Mariners 3