Garrett Richards (7-5, 3.66 ERA) and J.A. Happ (3-4, 3.78 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Los Angeles Angels (37-37) and the Seattle Mariners (34-40) at Angel Stadium. The Mariners won the last game 3-1 and Seattle leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 27 and can be seen on ROOT-NW and FOX.
Richards is 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA in his appearances against the Mariners, and goes up against a below-average Seattle offense which is batting just .231 this season. Mike Trout (.303, 54 Rs, 19 HRs, 42 RBIs, 8 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. When pitching against the Angels, Happ is 0-3 with a 9.82 ERA, 2.36 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts. Nelson Cruz (.306, 36 Rs, 19 HRs, 45 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Mariners, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Los Angeles is a -156 favorite against Seattle and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Angels have an overall money line of -239 and a record as the favorite of 22-18. Los Angeles has had an impressive season against division opponents, earning 14-8 and 20-15 records as the favorite and SU respectively. Opposing offenses that come to Angel Stadium have been stifled by the Angels, who have a team ERA of only 3.36 at home. The Angels are the fourth-best team in the AL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 7.9 hits per game to their opponents this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Seattle has a 13-14 record and an overall money line of -1,221. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games while playing as the underdog, and have a 5-5 SU record over the same span. Offensively, the Mariners have really picked up the pace in division games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.4 runs per game by averaging 3.8 in those contests. The Mariners allow 4.1 runs per game, but does worse whenever another team from the AL West Division is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average up to 4.6 against division foes.
The Angels lead the season series, 4-3. The Angels have a 9-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Happ takes the mound. Richards (RHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 26-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAA, O/U – Under
Notes
Seattle has won 48% (10-11) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Los Angeles has won 58% (18-13) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Angels are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Mariners have a 16-1 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Angels are 7-25. The Mariners have an 11-24 record when opponents outhit them.
Tied at ninth for total home runs, Los Angeles and Seattle have each hit 75 homers this season.
Los Angeles and Seattle both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Los Angeles sits at 14th with 8.03 hits per game and Seattle ranks 15th with 7.73.
Los Angeles and Seattle both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Los Angeles sits at 22nd with an OPS of .685 and Seattle ranks 27th with an OPS of .669.
When the Mariners allow at least one home run, they are 14-33, well-matched with the Angels who are 16-30 when allowing at least one homer.
