In the last of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners (32-37) and the Houston Astros (32-37) at Safeco Field, J.A. Happ (3-3, 3.79 ERA) and Vincent Velasquez (0-0, 4.66 ERA) get the ball. The Mariners won the last game 6-3 and Seattle leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jun. 21 and will air on ROOT-SW and ROOT-NW.
Happ is 3-0 with a 3.48 ERA and 1.32 WHIP against the Astros in his career. Nelson Cruz (.315, 36 Rs, 19 HRs, 43 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. The Astros were unsuccessful the last time Velasquez pitched. He struggled, going, going 4.2 innings, giving up five runs, striking out seven and walking two in an 8-5 loss to the Rockies. George Springer (.277, 36 Rs, 11 HRs, 25 RBIs, 13 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Seattle is a -116 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Mariners are 19-23 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,063. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the favorite (1-3). Seattle has averaged 3.8 runs per game during divisional play, higher than its season average of 3.4. Seattle’s pitchers struggle within their division. The Mariners have given up an average of 4.6 runs to intra-division opponents, well over their defense’s season average of 4.1.
Moving on to the away team, the Astros come into this game with a solid win percentage of .600 when playing as the underdog (21-14) and an overall money line of +913. Against divisional rivals, they are 20-13 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 14-5 record. During the last 10 games, they averaged 5.9 runs per game, above their 4.4 season average. Houston is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 227 extra base hits. The Astros have racked up 56 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. The Astros are a problem for opposing batters, sporting a 3.54 ERA this season. They have a WHIP of 1.18 on the year, good for tops in the league. The Houston pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 7.8 strikeouts per game.
The Astros have gotten the better of the Mariners in head-to-head matchups this season, going 8-4. This game will feature Velasquez (RHP) on the mound against the Mariners, who have a 25-30 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Astros will be the left-hander Happ. They sport a 14-15 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Under
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Houston is 16-11, while Seattle is 10-8.
The Mariners are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Astros have a 3-14 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Mariners have a slight leg up on the Astros, as the Mariners have won their last two games while the Astros have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 17-12. The Astros have a 27-9 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 28th, Seattle is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 236 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at fourth with 308.
Ranking 17th, Seattle is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 195 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 218.
When the Mariners hit at least one home run, they are 26-16, well-matched with the Astros who are 32-18 when hitting one or more homers.
