ODDS ANALYSIS
A lot has been said about the Mariners’ pathetic offense and it’s true. The addition of Nelson Cruz was supposed to alleviate some of the problems, and he’s been good, but the M’s weren’t counting on Robinson Cano tanking the season. It’s hard to win when you don’t score and the M’s are last in the AL in runs, sabotaging what was to be a fun summer in the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle is a bit better producing runs on the road, but not much. They average 3.7 runs on the road opposed to 3.2 at Safeco Field, still numbers that won’t sustain a winning season. Seattle lost four of six games with the Angels this season averaging 2.8 runs per game.
The Angels really needed a sweep of the Astros in their previous series to make some noise in the AL West. They got the next best thing, taking two of three and have a chance to build off that against the struggling Mariners. The Halos are 4-2 against Seattle this season with both losses against Felix Hernandez. The Angels are 5-1 at home in games started by Garrett Richards and they’ve cashed the under in each of his last two starts.
PITCHING MATCHUP
J.A. Happ (3-4, 3.78 ERA) allowed two earned on seven hits over five innings in a 6-2 loss to the Astros on Sunday. He’s lost each of his last three starts and hasn’t won a start since May 9, though he’s been effective in his last two, going five or more innings with three or fewer runs in each. The M’s scored a total of four runs combined in his last four turns.
Happ has had little success against the Angels going 0-3 with a 9.82 ERA and 2.36 WHIP covering 11 innings in three starts.
Garrett Richards (7-5, 3.66 ERA) tossed six innings giving up three runs on eight hits in a loss to the Athletics on Sunday. He’s tossed three straight quality starts going 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA since his shellacking by the Yankees on June 6.
Richards held the M’s to one run in seven innings in his only start against them this season. He’s 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA over 55 innings in 14 career appearances – six starts.
QUOTE TO NOTE
Albert Pujols has been red hot and Mike Trout continues to be his superstar self, but, as Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, “We have to be more than what Mike and Albert are going to give us in the middle of our lineup.”
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
When a team struggles offensively, the hitting coach gets the blame and usually the axe. They’re typically the first to go and Seattle – which plays in a difficult hitters park anyway – has had more than its share. The Mariners reached into their bag of franchise names and came up with Edgar Martinez, who becomes the 11th hitting coach in the past 13 seasons. That gives you an idea of just how poor this team has been over the years. Martinez has a lot of work in front of him, with a group that has the lowest batting average in MLB, the second-fewest runs per game and a weak .667 OPS. The question remains: How much impact can a hitting coach have on Major League players?
PROP TALK
Albert Pujols is definitely making up for the rough stretch he experienced earlier in the year. When the Angels slugger was down around the Mendoza Line with just three homers at the end of April, many were claiming he was washed up. Maybe that was the spark he needed. Pujols has 12 homers in June and leads the AL with 23 while hitting .333 this month. He’s on pace to hit over 50 home runs, something he never did during his glory days with the Cardinals, and is close to surpassing his total of 28 long balls from last year. He’s hitting .318 with two home runs in six games against Seattle this season and has six hits, including a homer, against J.A. Happ.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Angels’ starter Garrett Richards has been really good in his six starts at Angels Stadium, going 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA and the Mariners can’t hit or score. Richards shut the M’s down in his last outing against them, giving up five hits and a run in seven innings. There really is no reason to believe the Mariners can break out of their offensive funk against one of the best young hurlers in the game. And J.A. Happ’s numbers against the Angels don’t have M’s fans thinking victory.
Los Angeles 6, Seattle 2
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Seattle Mariners versus the Los Angeles Angels will commence Saturday, June 27, 2015, at 7:15 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The matchup will be televised regionally on FOX.
