In a battle amongst AL West teams, the Seattle Mariners (33-40, -$1,219) will continue their struggle to return to relevancy in their three game weekend set against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (37-36, -$242).
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Angels have been hanging out right around the .500 mark for a while now as they struggle to gain any ground. of course, that is a much better position than the Mariners who, despite early season hype as being—perhaps—the best team in the American League, are amongst the league’s worst teams according to their record.
Over their last five games, Los Angeles has dropped three while Seattle has dropped three of its last four games. That said, since stopping a seven game losing streak with a win on June 6, the Mariners have been better than they were previously, going an even 9-9 in their last 18 games.
Head-to-head, the Angels have the edge this year in winning four of six games. They also have home field advantage where they’re 21-16, though the Mariners have done much better on the road than at home. Whilst still under-.500, they’re a respectable 16-17 outside of the great Northwest.
PITCHING MATCHUP
In a bit of a lopsided matchup on the mound, the Angels will send Garrett Richards to the hill to face lefty veteran J.A. Happ.
Richards came into his own last year, establishing himself as an ace level pitcher. While returning from injury, he has struggled a bit, including a blowout loss against the Yankees, but he has pitched three straight quality starts since then and has a 7-5 record overall with a 3.66 ERA and 1.258 WHIP through 78 2/3 innings.
In his only start against the Mariners this year, Richards pitched very well, holding Seattle to just one run on five hits over seven innings of work. In his career, he is 3-2 against the M’s with a 2.45 ERA.
Happ, on the other hand, is 0-3 in three career starts against Los Angeles, with 12 earned runs in just 11 innings of work.
The 32-year old lefty is a career back of the rotation arm though despite his numbers against the Angels, usually at least keeps his team in the game.
Overall, he is actually having a respectable year with a 3.78 ERA and 1.360 WHIP in 78 2/3 innings of work with a FIP of 3.51 thanks to an inflated BABIP against him.
QUOTE TO NOTE
A bullpen is an essential part of any team and the Angels have theirs going well right now. The cumulative ERA is 3.34 and the unit comes off a great performance in a 2-1 win in 13 innings. The pen pitched 5 2/3 innings on Tuesday night and came back with seven shut out frames Wednesday afternoon.
Manager Mike Scioscia had nothing but praise for the unit after the win, saying:
“The whole crew, the whole bullpen, it worked. They all made pitches.”
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
Over the last week, it seems that Mariners’ second baseman Robinson Cano may finally be heating up.
Cano’s bat is crucial in the middle of the Mariners’ lineup and his poor performance overall is a large part of why the Mariners’ offense is one of the worst in baseball to this point.
In a week, Cano’s average has gone up 10 points as he is 9 for 26 since June 17 and has four walks and a home run to go along with the improved average.
The Mariners as a whole have scored more than five runs three times since June 17, but has also failed to score more than two the other five times.
Even with Cano hitting better, the Mariners offense is very inconsistent. The team has the bats to produce, but needs more stability, particularly from Mark Trumbo (.159 average), Austin Jackson (.669 OPS) and—of course—Cano.
The Mariners have scored just 3.4 runs per game, the third fewest in all of baseball, better only than the Phillies and White Sox. The Angels, however, while ranked No. 20 overall in runs scored this year have scored 40 more times than Seattle.
Los Angeles is led by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. Trout is often dubbed the best player in baseball and his .949 OPS certainly backs that up as he also bring speed and power. Pujols, however, may actually be the team’s most valuable player of late.
The aging first baseman has already slugged 23 home runs and driven in 47 runs this season. He is also hitting .272. Over his last 22 games, Pujols is hitting .333 with 12 of his 23 homers and 24 RBIs as the slugger is red hot.
PROP TALK
With over half of his home runs coming in the month of June, look to Albert Pujols for your prop bets. Pujols is a solid, though unspectacular 6 for 24 life time against Happ, but he does have a home run and a double.
Interestingly, another player to watch might actually be Cano. He has hit well this last week and is 5 for 14 in his career against Richards with a double and a triple.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Nelson Cruz had led the Mariner’s offense in the early going, but now that his bat has gone into early hibernation, the team continues to struggle putting runs on the board.
Add that struggle with the superior pitching by the Angels, both to start the game and out of the pen, and this game should go to the Angels just like four of the six games between these teams already have this year.
Los Angeles 6, Seattle 3
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.
