Matt Shoemaker (6-13, 4.22 ERA) and Hisashi Iwakuma (14-7, 3.84 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a four-game series between the Los Angeles Angels (50-70) and the Seattle Mariners (64-55) at Angel Stadium. The Mariners won the last game 4-3, and Seattle leads the series 2-1. Action begins at 10:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 18 and can be seen on FSW and RTNW.
Shoemaker pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs and striking out three in a 5-1 defeat to the Indians. Mike Trout (.310, 92 Rs, 23 HRs, 77 RBIs, 20 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Iwakuma went 5.1 innings, surrendering three runs and striking out two in a 4-3 win over the Athletics in his most recent start. Robinson Cano (.294, 77 Rs, 26 HRs, 74 RBIs) has been successful at the plate, going 3 for 5 yesterday.
Seattle takes on Los Angeles as a -120 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Angels have recorded an overall money line of -1,936 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 25-47. Los Angeles has gone winless (0-8) as the underdog and 1-9 SU in its last 10 outings. The Angels have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 3.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.5 runs per game. Los Angeles’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 6.5 runs per game, well above its season average of 4.8.
In games where it is the favorite, Seattle has a 36-29 record and an overall money line of +249. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games playing as the favorite, and have an 8-2 SU record over the same span. Offensively, they average 4.7 runs per game, which is good for fifth in the AL. The Mariners are tough outs for opponents, ranking second in the AL with 9.2 hits per road game.
The Mariners lead the season series, 7-5. The Angels have a 34-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Iwakuma takes the mound. Shoemaker (RHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 46-30 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA, O/U – Over
Notes
LA Angels are 1-12 SU in their last 13 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Angels’s last 6 games at home.
LA Angels are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games at home.
LA Angels are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Seattle.
LA Angels are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle.
In their last game, the Mariners won by a margin of one run. The Angels are 13-15 in one-run games. The Mariners have a 22-22 record in close games.
The Angels are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Mariners have a 19-30 record when opponents give up two walks or less.
When they are outhit, the Angels are 7-54. The Mariners have a 14-38 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 25th in home runs, Los Angeles has hit 116 this season. Seattle ranks fourth with 164 home runs.
Los Angeles and Seattle both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Los Angeles sits at eighth with 8.88 hits per game and Seattle ranks ninth with 8.85.
Ranking 19th, Los Angeles is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.735). Seattle ranks in the top 10 with an OPS of .759.
When the Mariners allow at least one home run, they are 42-45. When the Angels allow one or more homers, they have a 27-56 record.
