This is the openers of a three-game series in Seattle between the Mariners and visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Miles Mikolas is scheduled to pitch for St. Louis, while Bryan Woo is slated to start for Seattle.
Cardinals at Mariners prediction, preview
Miles Mikolas is posting a 4.89 ERA and a 4.96 FIP through 136.1 innings. The walk rate has been good at 5.6%, but the strikeout rate has been almost nonexistent at 14.7%. The barrel rate is 11.9%, the hard-hit rate is 42%, and he’s allowed 24 home runs.
Fifteen of the 24 home runs have come off the bats of lefties, and 17 of the 24 have been surrendered on the road. Most of the numbers are similar between righties and lefties, but the FIP is a run higher against lefties due to the home runs. His FIP at home is 3.98 compared to 6.22 on the road—again, due to the home run discrepancy.
In 27 starts, Mikolas has allowed more than three earned runs eight times. He’s gone at least six innings in nine of those starts. This will be his first time facing Seattle this season.
Against right-handed pitching, the Mariners rank 10th in strikeout rate and ninth in ISO. Their wOBA ranks 12th in MLB.
Bryan Woo has been excellent for Seattle this season. Through 169.2 innings, his ERA is 3.02, while his FIP is 3.66. That’s due to a low BABIP of .241 and a slightly elevated 80.4% strand rate. Woo averages 95.7 mph on the fastball and is posting a 25.2% strikeout rate with an 11.8% swinging strike rate. The chase rate is 30%. As with most Mariners pitchers, his control is excellent, with a walk rate of 5.1%. He has allowed 24 home runs.
His K-BB% is 24.6% against righties and 16% against lefties. His FIP is 3.87 against lefties and 3.43 against righties. He has essentially been site-neutral, with a slight lean toward his home park.
In 27 starts, Woo has allowed more than three earned runs six times. He’s gone at least six innings in all but two starts—both of which came in his most recent outings. This will be his first time facing St. Louis this season.
Against right-handed pitching, the Cardinals have the 20th-highest strikeout rate, the 28th-best ISO, and rank 26th in MLB in wOBA.
As for the bullpens, since August 1, St. Louis ranks seventh in FIP, while Seattle ranks 13th.
Cardinals at Mariners pick, best bet
Mikolas gets lit up and his name is Bryan Woo, not Loo.
