J.A. Happ (4-5, 3.93 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (7-7, 4.65 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners (39-45) and the Detroit Tigers (42-41) at Safeco Field. The Mariners won the last game 7-6 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 3:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 8 and can be seen on FSN-DET, ROOT-NW and MLB.
Happ is 1-0 with a 2.30 ERA in his appearances against the Tigers, but goes up against a quality Detroit offense which is batting .280 this season. Nelson Cruz (.302, 41 Rs, 21 HRs, 50 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4. Sanchez is 0-0 with a 2.19 ERA against the Mariners in his career. He is up against a below-average Seattle offense that’s batting just .231. Miguel Cabrera (.350, 43 Rs, 15 HRs, 54 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Tigers, going 2 for 2 yesterday with one RBI.
Seattle is a -120 favorite against Detroit and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Mariners have an overall money line of -1,309 and a record as the favorite of 20-29. Seattle has gone winless in its last 10 as the favorite.
In games where it is the underdog, Detroit has a 16-20 record and an overall money line of -65. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-3 record, and a 5-5 record SU. Offensively, the Tigers have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.5 runs per game by averaging 6.1 during that stretch. The Tigers are tough outs for opponents, leading the AL with 9.8 hits per game. The Tigers allow 4.6 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.2 runs per game during that span.
The Mariners have a 31-35 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Sanchez takes the mound. Happ (LHP) will be on the hill against the Tigers, who have an 11-8 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Seattle’s last 7 games at home.
Seattle is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle’s last 5 games when playing Detroit.
Seattle is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Detroit.
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit.
In their last game, the Tigers lost by a margin of one run. The Mariners are 17-13 in one-run games. The Tigers have a 13-13 record in close games.
The Mariners are 5-6 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 3-6 in such matchups.
The Tigers managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Mariners who are heading in with a 15-10 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 22-13. The Tigers have a 36-10 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th, Seattle is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 290 this season. Detroit ranks in the top five at fifth with 377.
Ranking 19th, Seattle is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 230 this season. Detroit ranks in the top half at 13th with 243.
The Mariners are 32-20 when they hit at least one home run. The Tigers perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 31-18 record.
