Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.67 ERA) starts for the Oakland Athletics (12-18) as they square off against Taijuan Walker (1-3, 8.74 ERA) and the Seattle Mariners (11-17) in the first of a three-game series at Safeco Field. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 8 and can be seen on CSN-CA and ROOT-NW.
Walker is 0-1 with an 8.74 ERA in his appearances against the Athletics, and goes up against a quality Oakland offense which is batting .265 this season. Nelson Cruz (.333, 19 Rs, 14 HRs, 26 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play Wednesday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Gray is 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA against the Mariners in his career. He takes on a below-average Seattle offense that’s batting just .236.
Oakland is a narrow -113 favorite over Seattle. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently seven runs. The Mariners have recorded an overall money line of -955 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 2-6. Seattle has recorded a disappointing 1-3 record as the underdog over its last 10 games. Opposing offenses that come to Safeco Field have been stifled by the Mariners, who have a team ERA of only 3.03 at home.
Over in the other dugout, Oakland is coming in with an overall money line of -831 and a disappointing record of 7-12as the favorite. They have played poorly as the favorite with a 6-9 record against teams in their division, and a 4-6 record SU. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Athletics are fifth in the AL with an average of 8.1 hits allowed per game.
The Mariners lead the season series, 2-1. The Mariners have an 8-12 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gray takes the mound. Walker (RHP) will be on the hill against the Athletics, who have an 11-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Athletics lost by a margin of one run. The Mariners are 6-7 in one-run games. The Athletics have a 1-8 record in close games.
When leading after 7 innings, Seattle is 6-2, while Oakland is 5-12.
The Mariners are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Athletics have a 6-8 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 2-11. The Mariners have a 5-10 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 10th in home runs, Oakland has hit 26 this season. Seattle ranks fourth with 35 home runs.
Ranking 12th, Seattle is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.93 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at third with 9.31.
Ranking 19th, Seattle is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.692). Oakland ranks in the top 10 at 10th with an OPS of .725.
When the Athletics allow at least one home run, they are 2-12, well-matched with the Mariners who are 4-13 when allowing at least one homer.
