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The Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at T-Mobile Park in Seattle and will only be available on YouTube or through an MLB.tv subscription. Triston McKenzie (9-9, 3.11 ERA) will start for the Guardians with Marco Gonzales (8-12, 4.08 ERA) on the mound for the Mariners.
Cleveland (66-56) won four of its last five games and picked up a two-game sweep over the San Diego Padres this week. McKenzie made 23 appearances and 22 starts, and he allowed two runs over seven innings in Friday’s win over the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland has the ninth-best batting average (.252), and Jose Ramirez homered twice in Wednesday’s victory.
Seattle (67-57) lost three of its last four games and is holding strong to the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Gonzales will make start No. 25 of the season, and he allowed two runs (one earned) over 5.1 innings in a win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday. Seattle ranks No. 23 in runs per game (4.1), and Eugenio Suarez is the team leader in home runs (23) and RBI (71).
Guardians vs. Mariners
Pitchers: Triston McKenzie vs. Marco Gonzales
First pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Guardians -1.5 (+145)
Run total: 7.5
Moneyline odds: Guardians -115, Mariners -105
Moneyline pick: Guardians -115
Oddsmakers suggest this one can go either way, but let’s go with Cleveland as the slightest of favorites. McKenzie is putting together a stronger season than Gonzales, the Guardians lineup has the edge over the Mariners, and they are playing better baseball right now as they continue to extend their lead in the American League Central.
Player prop pick: Marco Gonzales under 3.5 strikeouts (-175)
The Mariners starter is an incredibly low-strikeout thrower with a 5.0 K/9, and will face the Guardians offense that strikes out 6.9 times per game. That is the fewest number in the league, and it’s hard to believe Gonzales racks up a decent strikeout total on Thursday afternoon.
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