Sean Nolin (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and Hisashi Iwakuma (6-3, 4.22 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Oakland Athletics (58-78) and the Seattle Mariners (65-71) at O.co Coliseum. The Mariners won the last game 8-3 and Seattle leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sep. 6 and can be seen on CSCA and RTNW.
This is the first time Nolin will pitch this season. Stephen Vogt (.273, 54 Rs, 18 HRs, 67 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Iwakuma went 5.2 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out six and walking four in a 7-6 win over the White Sox in his last outing. Nelson Cruz (.310, 77 Rs, 39 HRs, 82 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Seattle takes on Oakland as a -141 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Athletics have recorded an overall money line of -2,676 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 26-41. Within its division, Oakland has a 16-17 as the underdog and a 26-30 SU. The Athletics have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.7 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.2 runs per game. Oakland’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 6.2 runs per game, well above its season average of 4.1. The Athletics are the fourth-best team in the AL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 8.3 hits per game so far this season.
In games where it is the favorite, Seattle has a 37-41 record and an overall money line of -1,375. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games playing as the favorite, and have a 7-3 SU record over the same span. Offensively, the Mariners have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.0 runs per game by averaging 5.9 during that stretch. The Mariners can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking fifth in the league with 166 home runs.
The Mariners have controlled the season series, 11-4. The Athletics have a 46-49 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Iwakuma takes the mound. Nolin (LHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 17-26 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Oakland is 25-33, while Seattle is 19-31.
The Mariners are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Athletics have a 1-7 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 8-50. The Mariners have a 17-47 record when opponents outhit them.
Oakland ranks near the bottom of the league at 23rd when it comes to home runs, hitting 112 this season. Seattle ranks in the top five at fifth with 166.
Ranking 11th, Seattle is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.51 per game. Oakland ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.76.
Ranking 23rd, Oakland is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.706). Seattle ranks in the top half at 14th with an OPS of .724.
The Mariners are 33-58 when they allow at least one home run. The Athletics perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 21-59 record.
