Hisashi Iwakuma (0-1, 6.55 ERA) and the Seattle Mariners (5-7) meet Asher Wojciechowski (0-1, 4.50 ERA) and the Houston Astros (6-6) in the first of a three-game division series at Safeco Field. The game starts at 10:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Apr. 20 and will air on ROOT-SW and ROOT-NW.
Iwakuma is 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA against the Astros in his career, and is up against a less-than-stellar Houston offense that’s hitting just .202 on the year. Nelson Cruz (.354, 9 Rs, 8 HRs, 14 RBIs) kept up his strong start yesterday, going 3 for 6 with two runs, two home runs, and five RBIs. The Astros were unsuccessful to the Athletics 8-1 the last time Wojciechowski pitched. He went 4.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out four and walking one. Jose Altuve (.320, 5 Rs, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 4 SBs) has been hitting the ball well to start the season, going 3 for 5 yesterday with one run.
Seattle is a -172 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Mariners have a 3-4 record and overall money line at -389. They have an SU record of 4-4 against teams in their division and a 3-3 record when they were the favorite in those games. The Mariners rank second in the majors in home runs with 18. Transitioning to the pitching staff, the Mariners lead the AL in home ERA with a 2.00 team average.
Switching gears, the Astros come into this game with a weak win percentage of .400 when playing as the underdog (2-3) and an overall money line of -9. Against divisional rivals, they are 5-4 SU and 2-2 as the underdog. When it comes to scoring runs, the Astros have performed much better than normal against teams from the AL West. During those games, they averaged three runs per game, above their 2.8 season average. The Astros have racked up 13 steals on the year, making them the most threatening base-running team in the league. The Astros are a problem for opposing batters, sporting a 2.80 ERA this season. They also allow just 2.6 walks per game, good for fifth in the AL.
The Mariners will take on a right-hander (Wojciechowski) in this game and have a 4-3 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Astros will be the right-hander Iwakuma. They sport a 3-5 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA, O/U – Under
Notes
The Astros won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Mariners are 3-2. The Astros are 1-0 in close games this season.
Houston has won 67% (4-2) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Seattle has won all of its games (3-0) when taking a late lead.
The Mariners managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Astros who are coming in with a 2-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When outhit, the Mariners and the Astros both have losing records. Seattle has a 2-6 record in these situations while Houston is 1-3.
Houston ranks in the top 10 of the league at sixth when it comes to home runs, hitting 15 this season. Seattle ranks in the top five at second with 18.
Ranking 15th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 6.64 per game. Seattle ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 7.64.
Ranking 23rd, Houston is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.635). Seattle ranks in the top half at 11th with an OPS of .715.
The Astros are 1-4 when they allow at least one home run. The Mariners perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 2-6 record.
