Mariners vs Astros Odds: Houston Favored Over Seattle

The Mariners vs Astros odds should see Houston favored in all four games before the teams head to the All-Star break. The Astros have been playing well, winning eight of their last 10. Houston has a one-game lead in the MLB wild card standings and have trimmed the Rangers‘ lead to 2.0 games.

The Mariners are 5-5 over their last 10 games. Seattle trails Texas by 8.0 games and is 5.0 games out in the wild card standings. The Mariners have had their troubles on the road, where they’ve gone 18-23. Seattle is also 18-30 against teams with a .500 record or better. Seattle was on the wrong side of the baseball scores Wednesday, losing 2-0 to San Francisco.

The Mariners are No. 25 in team batting average at .233 and No. 19 in runs scored. Seattle is No. 16 in MLB in home runs, which has helped bring runners home.

Seattle is No. 8 in team ERA, while its 19 saves are tied for No. 22 in the league.

The Astros are no longer the scoring machine they were a few seasons ago. Houston enters the series ranked No. 14 in team batting average. But the Astros are No. 9 in runs scored in part due to being No. 10 in home runs.

The big key for Houston’s success is pitching. The Astros are No. 2 in team ERA and are tied for ninth in MLB with 25 saves.

Thursday’s Game

The Mariners are sending George Kirby to the mound and he’s been solid. Kirby is 7-7 with a 3.21 ERA. Seattle is 8-8 in the 16 games Kirby has started. The Astros haven’t named a starter for Thursday yet. But Houston is expected to recall Ronel Blanco from the minors and he should get the start. He’s been pretty average in five starts for the Astros this season.

The Mariners vs Astros odds have Houston -108, which is pretty close to where it should be. The Mariners get a bit of an edge in starting pitching. But the Astros score a bit more and are at home.

Friday’s Game

Seattle is expected to send Luis Castillo to the mound. The Astros should counter with Hunter Brown in what is shaping to be a decent pitching match-up. Castillo has been a good pitcher playing on bad teams, so his career stats are a bit misleading. He’s fit right in with the Mariners and thrown well despite Seattle being 8-9 in the games he’s started this year.

Brown isn’t what you’d call a big-name pitcher. But he’s been solid enough for the Astros. Houston is 9-7 in the games Brown has started. The Astros could have a better record with Brown pitching, but have scored two or fewer runs in six of his 16 starts. The total is going to be low here. But it’s entirely justified in this case. The under looks to be the way to go.

Saturday’s Game

The Mariners vs Astros odds will see Houston and Framber Valdez as decent-sized favorites over Bryan Woo and the Mariners. Valdez has pitched well this season with a 7-6 record and 2.49 ERA. Houston is 9-7 with Valdez on the mound.

Woo hasn’t pitched that badly and the Mariners are 4-2 in the games he’s started. Woo sports a 1-1 record with a 4.08 ERA. Seattle is 11-10 against left-handed starters, scoring 4.81 runs per game, so Seattle does score about .4 more runs against southpaws. If the line is more than Houston -180, the Mariners could be worth a look as a price play.

Sunday’s Game

Logan Gilbert and Brandon Bielak are the expected starters the series finale on Sunday. Gilbert is 6-5 with a 3.82 ERA and Bielak is 4-4 with a 3.81 ERA. So it’s hard to give an edge to either one of the starting pitchers. However, Gilbert is a little more proven.

Seattle is 8-9 when Gilbert starts, but 7-3 when he starts on the road. The Astros have gone 4-5 when Bielak starts. The main reason for that is Houston has scored just 3.33 runs per game in his five starts. All four wins have been by at least three runs, so those liking Houston may want to take the Astros against the MLB point spreads, or run line as it’s typically called, to drive the price down a bit.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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