The Seattle Mariners host the Minnesota Twins to round out the Friday night MLB slate. The sluggers in Seattle are just 4-6 across their last 10 outings as they ran into a bit of a rough patch, but the Twins also have slowed down lately after a very hot stretch and are 5-5 across the same span.
Here’s a Mariners vs. Twins prediction and pick for tonight’s game ahead of the 8:10 p.m. EST first pitch.
Mariners vs. Twins prediction, preview
Seattle Mariners
The M’s are 30-25 on the campaign but their slim AL West lead continues to shrink over the past several days. The fans are still waiting for the elite pitching of previous seasons to return, but in the meantime, the offense remains one of the best in the business.
There’s plenty of fun to be had watching these Mariners play. The team’s 73 homers are the sixth-most in the MLB and they’ve scored the 10th-most runs to this point. Cal Raleigh leads the lineup with 52 hits, 19 of which have come as home runs. Jorge Polanco and Julio Rodriguez each have 10 dingers apiece, though the latter hasn’t yet emerged up to his typical standards at the plate. J.P. Crawford’s hitting well, and if Randy Arozarena ever comes online, they’ll be a very formidable unit (though I wrote the same thing about him several weeks ago, so we’re still waiting).
Minnesota Twins
As for the Twins, they shook off a very poor start with a double-digit winning streak in recent weeks. They’re still 22nd in average and 24th in OPS as well as runs scored. However, they’re 30-25, proving there’s enough life in the lineup to succeed on the backs of one of the MLB’s top pitching staffs.
Where the batters are concerned, Kody Clemens has just 56 at-bats but looks like he may be on the cusp of a breakout with a .304 AVG and five home runs. Harrison Bader leads everyday contributors with a .276 AVG and .359 OBP, while Byron Buxton puts up numbers (as long as he’s healthy) with an .834 OPS and a team-high 10 homers. There’s a handful of guys around the .250 AVG range, but one notable slump is that of Carlos Correa, whose OBP sits at a paltry .287. They’ll need him to return to star form if they hope to really make noise late into the season.
Mariners vs. Twins pick, best bet
25-year-old right-hander Bryan Woo starts for the Mariners. The third-year hurler excelled last season but is posting an even better campaign through his first 10 starts with a 2.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, plus 60 punchouts in 63.2 innings. He’s elite, no doubt about it.
On the other side, the twins do not have such a star on the mound tonight. Zebby Matthews takes the ball with just two appearances this season, posting a nine-strikeout, five-hit, two run performance in four innings against the Royals six days ago. In his other contest, he went just three innings with four earned runs on five hits and three walks, with five strikeouts to show. He’s going to be a bit unpredictable tonight, especially against this Mariners lineup.
Seattle enters the night as -155 favorites on the Moneyline at home, while Minnesota comes in as +130 underdogs to win outright. The total sits at just seven combined runs.
Over 18.5 outs recorded for Woo makes a lot of sense to me in this one. He’s a stud pitcher facing an offense without many top-end hitters who really strike fear into opponents. If the Twins struggle to hit him, which they probably will, Woo might get to go deep into this game. I expect him to have no problems dispatching the order a couple of times through tonight.
Best bet: Bryan Woo over 18.5 outs recorded (-110)
Click the odds to tail!
