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The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros square off on Tuesday with first pitch set for 8:10 p.m. EST. The game takes place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Chris Flexen is set to start for the Mariners, while Justin Verlander gets the nod for the Astros.
Ty France has been the best hitter for the Mariners by far. France is hitting .326 with eight home runs and 37 runs batted in. After a red-hot start, J.P. Crawford has cooled off a bit as he’s now hitting .287 with five home runs and 14 RBI. Julio Rodriguez is starting to heat up as well. In his last 15 games, he’s hitting .311 with four home runs and 12 runs batted in. On the mound, Chris Flexen has had his struggles this season. He’s 2-6 with a 4.55 ERA this season.
The Astros are in sole possession of first place in the AL West at 35-20. Yordan Alvarez has given them a legitimate power threat in the four spot as he is hitting .288 with 16 home runs and 34 runs batted in. As of late, Kyle Tucker has been heating up which is much needed. In his last seven games, Tucker is hitting .375 with two home runs and three runs batted in. On the mound, Just Verlander has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball. This season, he is 6-2 with a 2.23 ERA.
Mariners vs. Astros
Pitchers: Chris Flexen vs. Justin Verlander
First pitch: 8:10 p.m. EST
Mariners local broadcast: Root Sports Northwest
Astros local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Point spread: Astros -1.5
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Astros -250, Mariners +200
Moneyline pick: Astros -250
The big thing here for the Astros is they have their top guy on the mound in Justin Verlander. Coming off a tough loss, where tensions got high, this is the matchup they need for a bounce back. Chris Flexen is also on the mound for the Mariners and he’s had some struggles this season. This should be a big Astros win.
Player prop pick: Yordan Alvarez over 1.5 total bases (-120)
This is my favorite play of the day by far. Alvarez went 0-4 last night, so he is due. In his career against Chris Flexen, Alvarez is 4-10 with two home runs. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Alvarez had a multi-hit night tonight and puts one over the fence.
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