Seattle followed Saturday’s 19-1 win with an 8-7 loss Sunday, and that should overshadow the huge number they hung this weekend. At the end of the day, they lost another series to the lowly Athletics. They remain five games behind Houston with 12 to play, despite scoring 26 runs over those two afternoons. It’s been a sunk season. Speaking of which! Los Angeles returns home after Washington swept the final series of its nine-game road trip. Both bullpens blew leads in the late frames yesterday, so they’ll need their starters to go deep today to avoid a real hangover. Below is my preview, prediction, and pick for today’s baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners.
Here’s how I’ll play it. I’ll be pumping out these predictions for individual games all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more betting plays.
Angels vs. Mariners prediction, preview
Reid Detmers is an absolute stud, and consistently gives the Angels offense opportunities to win. Since the All-Star break, he owns a 1.37 ERA with 68 strikeouts against 10 walks across 59.1 innings. Sparkling. The searing Red Sox managed just a hit and a walk—just one each!—against him last Tuesday, striking out nine times in six scoreless innings. His season-long 28.4 K% and 6.7% walk rate seem to establish themselves every game. Today, I’m particularly enticed by his slider’s 35.3% whiff rate, and the 32.8% chase rate across his entire arsenal. That’ll help against a pressing Seattle lineup.
Rookie sensation Kade Anderson’s latest start also went well: six innings, one run, and his first major-league victory against a hot Rangers lineup. Through four appearances, though, he has allowed four home runs in 21 innings, eviscerating hitters very little at a 18.4 K%. Zach Neto and Mike Trout give Los Angeles two right-handed hitters who turn rookie mistakes into souvenirs. Neto hit his 26th home run Sunday, and Trout doubled, drew two walks. I expect Anderson to have some difficult at-bats against them tonight, even though his prospect profile and potential are bound for the moon.
Randy Arozarena is the strongest reason to hesitate about Detmers carrying another scoreless outing deep into this game. He homered twice Sunday and drove in four runs, continuing a stretch of 12 hits in 37 at-bats. Seattle also has a useful example from Boston’s pesky approach Tuesday: repeated foul balls helped push Detmers to 112 pitches. Even without scoring much early, the Mariners could force Los Angeles into its bullpen sooner than expected.
Mariners vs. Angels pick, best bet
That would concern me for the Angels. Luke Murphy let up four runs while throwing 31 pitches Sunday. Seattle also used four relievers themselves, including Gabe Speier, Seranthony Domínguez, and Andrés Muñoz. Another close game would require consecutive days for some of those arms. Detmers, though, gets an extra day between starts after his career-high pitch count, which helps his chances of throwing at least six innings.
I’m backing Los Angeles at -108, because Detmers excites me the most of any player in this matchup, and is in the best form. Kade Anderson is a phenom, and he showed good progress against Texas, but his limited strikeouts leave the Angels’ righties opportunities to put the ball in meaningful play.
Best bet: Angels moneyline (-108)
Projected score: Angels 4, Mariners 3
Best bet: Angels (-110) vs. Mariners
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