Felix Hernandez (10-3, 3.08 ERA) and the Seattle Mariners (32-38) go up against Joe Blanton (1-0, 1.80 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (39-27) in the first of a three-game series at Safeco Field. The game starts at 10:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 22 and will air on FSN-KC and ROOT-NW.
Hernandez is 4-4 with a 2.80 ERA against the Royals in his career, but is up against a strong Kansas City offense that’s hitting .274 on the year. Nelson Cruz (.315, 36 Rs, 19 HRs, 44 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one RBI. In his career against the Mariners, Blanton is 8-7 with a 3.69 ERA. He meets a struggling Seattle offense that’s batting just .231. Lorenzo Cain (.294, 41 Rs, 6 HRs, 32 RBIs, 14 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Royals, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two RBIs.
Seattle is a -168 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at six runs. The Mariners are 19-23 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -953. They are 1-3 as the favorite over their last 10 games.
Across the field, the Royals have a record of 15-12 when they are the underdog and are +1,002 overall with the money line. The top hitting team in the AL are the Royals, who average 9.4 hits per game. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Kansas City batters, who average an AL-low 5.8 strikeouts per game. Shifting to the pitching staff, they have the second-lowest ERA in the AL at 3.41. They also average just 7.9 hits allowed per game, second-best in the AL.
This game will feature Blanton (RHP) on the mound against the Mariners, who have a 25-30 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Hernandez will take the mound against the Royals. Against righty starters this season, they’ve racked up an impressive 29-16 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Kansas City is 17-8, while Seattle is 10-9.
The Mariners managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Royals who are coming in with a 10-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 2-22. The Mariners have an 11-22 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 26th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 51 this season. Seattle ranks 10th with 71 home runs.
Kansas City tops the league in hits with 9.37 per game this season. Seattle ranks in the top half at 15th with 7.81.
Ranking 27th, Seattle is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.669). Kansas City ranks in the top 10 at eighth with an OPS of .735.
When the Royals allow at least one home run, they are 17-19. When the Mariners allow one or more homers, they have a 13-32 record.
