Friday, May 6, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Taijuan Walker vs. Doug Fister

The Seattle Mariners visit Minute Maid Park on Friday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Taijuan Walker for the Mariners and Doug Fister for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Seattle at +100 and Houston at -110. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Mariners have a 10-16-1 over/under record and a 14-13-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Astros are 10-18-0 against the run line and have a 16-10-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 36% of the time.

The Mariners head into this matchup with a 16-11 record, including 11-4 on the road. Starting pitcher Taijuan Walker has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 1.80 and a WHIP of 1.03. He has 29 strikeouts over his 30 innings pitched and he has given up 28 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.07. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.31 and they have given up 47 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .170 against the bullpen while being struck out 87 times and walking 23 times this season. As a team, Seattle has allowed 7.56 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.33 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.04. The Mariners pitchers have collectively given up 204 base hits and 82 earned runs. They have allowed 25 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. Seattle as a pitching staff has walked 74 batters and struck out 225. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.14 and their FIP as a unit is 3.58.

As a team, Seattle is batting .243, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .274 average away from home. The Mariners hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.22 hits per game. Nelson Cruz comes into this game hitting .293 and his on-base percentage is at .398. He has 29 hits this season along with 12 runs scored and 16 runs batted in. He's struck out 21 times and has walked 14 times. Robinson Cano is hitting .273 and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 30 hits so far while scoring 17 runs and he's driven in 26. He has walked 9 times and has struck out 16 times. The Mariners have 223 hits, including 38 doubles and 38 home runs. They've stolen 8 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 7 times. Seattle has walked 92 times this season and they've struck out 211 times as a unit. They've left 183 men on base and have a team OPS of .736. They score 4.52 runs per contest and have scored a total of 122 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 6-7 home record and a 10-18 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.60, Doug Fister has a 2-3 record and a 1.43 WHIP. He has 16 strikeouts over the 29.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 30 hits. He has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.42. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.09 and they have given up 81 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 95 times and walking 21 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.87 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.62 batters per nine. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.79. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 268 base knocks and 130 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 37 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 76 hitters and struck out 207. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 4.30.

As a team, they are batting .231, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .248 average at home. The Astros hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 7.57 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .306 and he has an OBP of .398. He has 34 hits this year along with 25 runs scored and 17 RBI. He's struck out 16 times and has walked on 14 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .276 and he has an OBP of .388. He has collected 27 hits so far while he's scored 15 runs and drove in 13. He has earned a walk 17 times and has punched out 27 times. The Astros as a unit have 212 base hits, including 58 doubles and 37 homers. They have 20 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 10 times. Houston as a team has walked 109 times this year and they have struck out 272 times. They've had 180 men left on base and have an OPS of .739. They score 4.14 runs per game and have totaled 116 runs so far this season.

Seattle Mariners Betting Trends

The Seattle Mariners are 10-16-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Seattle Mariners are 14-13-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 16-10-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 10-18-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Seattle Mariners

05/04/16 P Tony Zych Rotator Cuff 15-day DL (5/2)
04/25/16 P Joaquin Benoit Shoulder 15-day DL (4/25)
04/04/16 P Charlie Furbush Bicep 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Evan Scribner Oblique 15-day DL (3/25)
03/30/16 C Jesus Sucre Leg 60-day DL (3/1)
03/30/16 P Ryan Cook Shoulder 60-day DL (3/12)

Houston Astros

04/04/16 P Lance McCuller Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/02/16 C Max Stassi Wrist 15-day DL (3/29)

Josh's Pick: Take the Mariners

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