Taijuan Walker (7-6, 4.34 ERA) and Alfredo Simon (7-5, 3.94 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners (38-44) and the Detroit Tigers (41-40) at Safeco Field. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Jul. 6 and can be seen on FSN-DET and ROOT-NW.
Walker pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering zero runs and striking out seven in a 7-0 win over the Padres. Nelson Cruz (.304, 41 Rs, 21 HRs, 50 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. Simon is 0-0 with a 0.93 ERA against the Mariners in his career. He is up against a below-average Seattle offense that’s batting just .229. 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 -145 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 -1,248 and a record as the favorite of 20-28. Seattle is a disappointing 1-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Seattle’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 2.7 runs per game, well under their season average of 3.9.
In games where it is the underdog, Detroit has a 15-20 record and an overall money line of -219. They have been on a bit of a dry streak over their last 10 games. They managed a 0-4 record when playing as the underdog. The Tigers are tough outs for opponents, leading the AL with 9.7 hits per game. The Tigers allow 4.6 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.5 runs per game during that span.
The Mariners have a 30-34 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Simon takes the mound. Walker (RHP) will be on the hill against the Tigers, who have a 30-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Under
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Detroit is 18-17, while Seattle is 11-15.
The Mariners are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Tigers have a 14-23 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 4-28. The Mariners have a 12-27 record when opponents outhit them.
Detroit ranks in the bottom half of the league at 16th when it comes to home runs, hitting 72 this season. Seattle ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 85.
Detroit tops the league in hits with 9.66 per game this season. Seattle ranks in the top half at 15th with 7.69.
Ranking 27th, Seattle is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.664). Detroit ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .762.
When the Tigers allow at least one home run, they are 17-30, well-matched with the Mariners who are 15-35 when allowing at least one homer.
