Written By: The Persian
The streaking Houston Astros battle against the Seattle Mariners as they meet in the opener of a three-game set Monday night inside Minute Maid Park from Houston, Texas. They toss out the first pitch at 8:10 pm. Bookmaker has installed the Astros -165 ML.
The Astros were a tad quiet early in the season, and they have exploded for several big-time winning streaks. They have raced past the Mariners to claim the AL West. The Astros are up five games over the Mariners, and they have not technically clinched the division, but they will this week.
A miracle by the Mariners is unlikely, as the Astros have been one of the hottest teams in baseball for the last two months or so. They have a veteran team and a playoff-tested team that knows how to turn it on when it matters the most. They also have a ton of leadership in their dugout, as well as the drive and ambition that few teams have displayed over the last decade or so. They have won eight out of ten overall as they enter this series.
On offense, they are led by several players, including veteran second baseman Jose Altuve, who is as steady as they come. He has cracked 20 home runs to go along with 65 RBI while batting .295 on the season. The Astros, as a unit, have batted a very solid and impressive .263 on the season. They will toss out Hunter Brown, who has recorded a mark of 11-8 to go along with an ERA of 3.57.
The Mariners have pretty much called it a day. They were in a position to knock off the Astros and claim the division. They were rolling along this season, and then their pitching went south, and their hitting went ice cold, prompting them to change the manager position.
They just saw their brief three-game winning streak snapped after a 6-5 loss to the Texas Rangers. Their pitching over the last month of the season has had some issues and has struggled. They are led on offense by catcher Cal Raleigh, who has hit 31 home runs with a career-high 95 RBI this season. They have hit a total of 176 home runs this season.
They will hand the ball over to 26-year-old hurler Bryce Miller, who has a record of 11-8 and an ERA of 3.06 on the season. He last won several weeks ago and has shown he can give the Mariners six innings every time he steps on the mound.
The Astros are 4-1 in their last five games and 4-1 in their previous five games against the spread too. They are a solid 39-39 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in two out of their last five games and 35 out of their last 77 games at home. The Mariners are 3-2 in their previous five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are also a poor 33-44 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games.
