Jesse Chavez (7-13, 3.93 ERA) and Felix Hernandez (15-8, 3.66 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Oakland Athletics (58-77) and the Seattle Mariners (64-71) at O.co Coliseum. The Mariners won the last game 11-8 and Seattle leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 9:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sep. 5 and can be seen on CSCA and RTNW.
Chavez pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one, striking out six and walking one in a 7-4 defeat to the Diamondbacks. Stephen Vogt (.271, 53 Rs, 18 HRs, 67 RBIs) went 1 for 1 yesterday. Hernandez went 8.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out seven and walking one in an 8-2 win over the Athletics in his most recent start. Nelson Cruz (.310, 77 Rs, 39 HRs, 82 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Seattle takes on Oakland as a -142 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Athletics have recorded an overall money line of -2,532 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 26-41. Within its division, Oakland has a 16-16 as the underdog and a 26-29 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 4.1 runs per game. Oakland’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 5.3 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 -1,509. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 4-1 record, and a 6-4 record SU. Offensively, the Mariners have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.9 runs per game by averaging 5.3 during that stretch. The Mariners can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking fifth in the league with 164 home runs.
The Mariners have controlled the season series, 10-4. The Athletics have a 46-49 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hernandez takes the mound. Chavez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 46-45 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Oakland’s last 12 games.
Oakland is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland’s last 6 games at home.
Oakland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oakland’s last 5 games when playing Seattle.
Oakland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle.
Oakland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Seattle.
When leading after 7 innings, Oakland is 25-33, while Seattle is 19-31.
The Mariners are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 11 runs. The Athletics have a 0-5 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 8-49. 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 111 this season. Seattle ranks in the top five at fifth with 164.
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 22nd, Oakland is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.706). Seattle ranks in the bottom half at 16th with an OPS of .720.
When the Mariners allow at least one home run, they are 32-58, well-matched with the Athletics who are 21-58 when allowing at least one homer.
