Felix Hernandez (9-3, 3.38 ERA) and Madison Bumgarner (7-3, 3.16 ERA) take the hill in the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners (29-36) and the San Francisco Giants (35-31) at Safeco Field. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jun. 17 and can be seen on CSN-BAY and ROOT-NW.
Hernandez is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his appearances against the Giants, but goes up against a good San Francisco offense which is batting .269 this season. Kyle Seager (.275, 26 Rs, 11 HRs, 36 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. When pitching against the Mariners, Bumgarner is 0-0 with a 1.12 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, and four strikeouts. Buster Posey (.294, 29 Rs, 9 HRs, 36 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with two runs.
Seattle is a -121 favorite against San Francisco and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at six runs. The Mariners have an overall money line of -1,009 and a record as the favorite of 18-21. Against the NL, they have had a discouraging season, earning 1-2 and 2-4 records as the favorite and SU respectively. The Mariners have seen an uptick in scoring against teams in the NL, averaging 5.0 runs per game. They average 3.5 runs per game on the season.
As for their opponent, in contrast to a worrisome overall money line (-66), San Francisco has an impressive 18-11 record when playing as the underdog. San Francisco is 1-1 as the underdog and 4-2 SU against teams in the AL. San Francisco is excellent at not striking out with an NL-low 6.8 per game. Moving on to San Francisco’s pitching staff and defense, the The Giants allow just 4.0 runs per game, ranking them fifth in the NL.
The Mariners have a 5-7 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Bumgarner takes the mound. Hernandez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Giants, who have a 26-26 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SF, O/U – Under
Notes
When the Giants play into extra innings, they have a 3-1 record. The Mariners are 4-5 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Giants managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Mariners who are heading in with a 10-8 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 16-12. The Giants have a 30-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 28th, Seattle is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 223 this season. San Francisco ranks in the top half at 15th with 265.
Seattle and San Francisco both rank in the bottom half of the league in walks. Seattle sits at 17th with 181 this season and San Francisco ranks 16th with 187.
When the Mariners hit at least one home run, they are 25-16, well-matched with the Giants who are 24-11 when hitting one or more homers.
