It’s going down in the Wild Wild (American League) West, as the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners kick off a three-game set Monday night at T-Mobile Park.
The Angels (36–49, 5th AL West) took two of three games from the M’s in Anaheim earlier this season and have won six of their last eight games. The Mariners (42–43, 2nd AL West), who have dropped four of their last five, will look to settle the score in the rematch on their home turf.
Looking at the pitching probables, we’ve got Los Angeles right-hander Ryan Johnson (1–2, 8.84 ERA) taking on Seattle righty George Kirby (6–7, 3.94 ERA).
First pitch is at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Mariners enter as 1.5-run home favorites with -208 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Angels are +170 underdogs, with the game total set at O/U 7.5 runs.
Angels vs. Mariners Preview
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels find themselves in an all-too-familiar spot in the standings heading into July. The offense, which leads MLB in strikeout rate this season, has continued to churn out mediocre results — especially after a resurgent Mike Trout and his 17 home runs landed on the injured list earlier this month.
But Los Angeles has flashed signs of life recently, winning six of its last eight contests. That success has come thanks in large part to the Angels’ surging bullpen, which ranks fifth in the majors with a 2.96 ERA since the beginning of June.
The arm barn has helped cover for the club’s dragging rotation, which remains one of the weakest in the league. Ryan Johnson — who may or may not have directed the Knives Out movies — heads into Monday’s series opener with a swollen 8.84 ERA (4.60 xERA) in six appearances (three starts) this season. While the young right-hander, 23, is coming off six shutout frames against the Orioles, his Baseball Savant profile is painted in 50 shades of blue — each advanced metric more alarming than the last.
Seattle Mariners
Remember when the Mariners nearly captured the American League pennant? Or when Cal Raleigh almost broke the AL home run record? Those days are starting to feel like a distant memory in Seattle; the M’s are under .500 this year, capped by an 11–14 record since the beginning of June.
The reigning home run king is hitting a buck-sixty-five, anchoring a painfully ineffective — albeit unlucky — offense in 2026. While Julio Rodriguez is starting to heat back up and Dominic Canzone has emerged as one of MLB’s most formidable platoon bats, they haven’t been able to save Seattle from a bottom-five wRC+ this month.
Compounding the issue, the Mariners’ otherwise dominant pitching staff has gotten hammered by batted-ball misfortune since the calendar flipped to June. The underlying numbers remain promising, but the club hovers around the middle of the pack in tangible results. The bullpen has borne the brunt of the bad luck, this month ranking 24th in ERA (5.13) and eighth in xERA (3.45).
The M’s will hope for a different result on Monday when they hand the ball to George Kirby. The former All-Star, 28, heads into the contest with a 3.94 ERA (3.76 xERA) and a 1.34 WHIP through 16 starts (96 IP) this season. Kirby is pinpoint accurate and keeps the ball on the ground, but he has struggled to generate whiffs and eschew loud contact. And while he’s coming off a strong outing against the Pirates, he has surrendered at least three earned runs in six of his last seven outings.
Angels vs. Mariners Pick, Best Bet
Neither the Angels nor the Mariners have shown much interest in hitting this year, but that shouldn’t stop them from clearing the modest 7.5-run total in Monday’s series opener. Ryan Johnson has gotten battered since stepping into a starting role, and George Kirby certainly isn’t wielding his best stuff of late. Add in two of the most porous defenses in the sport, and we’ve got a setting where both offenses should come to life.
