Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners Free Pick 05/03/18

The Oakland Athletics will be taking on their division rival Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. The action will begin at 10:10 p.m. ET and NBC Sports – California will broadcast the game.

Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners Odds

Seattle (+110) is the underdog to Oakland (-120) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this night game at 8 runs. The odds for betting on the game’s total sit at -115 for the over and -105 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the most recent odds coming in at Athletics -1.5 runs (+125) and Mariners 1.5 runs (-145).

The Mariners are 17-12 SU and 18-10 ATS. They’ve gained 7.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 8.7 units against the spread (ATS). Seattle has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Athletics have gone 15-15 SU this year and are 13-16 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 0.4 units for moneyline gamblers in the season’s early going and 6.2 units ATS. Oakland is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.

Mariners games have an over/under record of 19-9 thus far in 2018. Oakland has an over/under record of 16-11-2.

Sean Manaea will get the nod for Oakland. The left-handed Manaea is 4-2 with a 1.03 ERA and 37 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with four strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA against Seattle this year (four starts).

The Mariners are preparing to start lefty Wade LeBlanc (0-0, 4.61 ERA), who has 12 strikeouts and three walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.39. LeBlanc has yet to face the Athletics this year and did not record a start against them in 2017.

As a unit, Seattle’s pitching staff has allowed 4.7 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have an ERA of 5.32, a WHIP of 1.40 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.2. The bullpen has a 3.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 10.2 K/9. In 12 games against AL West opponents, Mariners starters have an ERA of 4.76 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.64.

The Seattle offense has produced 4.7 runs per outing, including 4.3 per game against divisional foes and 7.0 per game over its last five. The team has hit .279/.345/.547 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.

The Mariners’ batters have been led by right fielder Mitch Haniger and second baseman Robinson Cano. Haniger is slashing .301/.383/.670 with 10 home runs, 27 RBIs and 17 runs scored, and Cano’s line sits at .291/.408/.447 with three homers, 14 RBIs and 18 runs.

Haniger didn’t do very well against lefties at home in 2017. Across 56 such plate appearances, he slashed .231/.286/.442 (compared to his overall season line of .282/.352/.491).

For the visiting squad, Oakland’s pitching staff allowed 4.8 runs per game and its starters own a 4.55 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 7.52 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.15, along with a K-per-9 of 7.79.

The Athletics offense has slashed .258/.336/.438 on its way to 4.9 runs scored per game this season, including 4.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).

Oakland’s offense has been led by Jed Lowrie and Mark Canha. Lowrie is hitting .341/.396/.618 with eight home runs, 30 RBIs and 15 runs scored, while Canha (.339/.391/.644) is up to five homers, 13 RBIs and 12 runs scored.

Compared to his total season slash line of .277/.360/.448, Lowrie seemed to take a step back when hitting lefty pitching on the road last year, putting up a slash line of .203/.301/.359 across 73 such plate appearances.

The Athletics have gained 0.8 units and are 7-5 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has cashed in four of those games, compared to six that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Mariners have netted 3.0 units and are 6-1 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in three of those games, as opposed to four which went under the total.

Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Mariners, ATS Winner – Mariners, O/U – OVER