Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 4.31 ERA) and Daniel Norris (1-0, 4.85 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners (58-53) and the Detroit Tigers (61-51) at Safeco Field. The Mariners won the last game 3-0, and Seattle leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 9 and can be seen on FSDT and RTNW.
LeBlanc pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking one in a 5-4 win over the Red Sox. Nelson Cruz (.279, 62 Rs, 27 HRs, 70 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run. Norris went 2.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out three and walking one in a 5-3 defeat to the Indians in his last outing. Miguel Cabrera (.308, 64 Rs, 25 HRs, 74 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Seattle is a narrow -114 favorite at home against Detroit. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at eight runs for this matchup. The Mariners have an overall money line of -143 and a record as the favorite of 31-29. The Mariners are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 156. As for the pitchers, opponents have consistently been struck out by the Mariners, who rank fourth in the AL in strikeouts per home game with 8.8.
In games where it is the underdog, Detroit has a 30-38 record and an overall money line of +1,601. They played solid baseball as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 3-1 record and an 8-2 record SU. The Tigers allow 4.6 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 3.4 runs per game during that span.
The Tigers lead the season series, 4-1. The Mariners have a 16-24 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Norris takes the mound. LeBlanc (LHP) will be on the hill against the Tigers, who have a 16-16 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Detroit is 30-22, while Seattle is 26-25.
The Tigers didn’t score any runs in their last game. The Mariners have a 7-0 record when they don’t allow any runs.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 10-36. The Mariners have a 12-37 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking seventh in home runs, Detroit has hit 145 this season. Seattle ranks third with 156 home runs.
Ranking ninth, Seattle is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.78 per game. Detroit ranks in the top five at second with 9.24.
Seattle and Detroit both rank in the top 10 of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Seattle sits at ninth with an OPS of .760, and Detroit ranks sixth with an OPS of .768.
When the Tigers allow at least one home run, they are 32-35, well-matched with the Mariners who are 38-43 when allowing at least one homer.
