Sunday, May 8, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Hisashi Iwakuma vs. Collin McHugh

The Seattle Mariners visit Minute Maid Park on Sunday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Hisashi Iwakuma for the Mariners and Collin McHugh for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Seattle at +103 and Houston at -113. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Mariners have a 10-16-3 over/under record and a 15-14-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Astros are 11-19-0 against the run line and have a 16-10-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 37% of the time.

The Mariners head into this matchup with a 17-12 record, including 12-5 on the road. Starting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma has a 1-3 record with an earned run average of 4.03 and a WHIP of 1.32. He has 28 strikeouts over his 38 innings pitched and he has given up 39 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.08. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.48 and they have given up 56 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .181 against the bullpen while being struck out 94 times and walking 30 times this season. As a team, Seattle has allowed 7.62 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.08. The Mariners pitchers have collectively given up 220 base hits and 89 earned runs. They have allowed 28 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Seattle as a pitching staff has walked 83 batters and struck out 237. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.17 and their FIP as a unit is 3.72.

As a team, Seattle is batting .244, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .272 average away from home. The Mariners hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.24 hits per game. Nelson Cruz comes into this game hitting .271 and his on-base percentage is at .378. He has 29 hits this season along with 13 runs scored and 16 runs batted in. He's struck out 23 times and has walked 14 times. Robinson Cano is hitting .286 and he has an on-base percentage of .341. He has totaled 34 hits so far while scoring 17 runs and he's driven in 30. He has walked 9 times and has struck out 16 times. The Mariners have 240 hits, including 40 doubles and 38 home runs. They've stolen 11 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 8 times. Seattle has walked 98 times this season and they've struck out 223 times as a unit. They've left 194 men on base and have a team OPS of .731. They score 4.52 runs per contest and have scored a total of 131 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 7-8 home record and a 11-19 overall mark. With an earned run average of 6.59, Collin McHugh has a 3-3 record and a 1.83 WHIP. He has 23 strikeouts over the 27.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 43 hits. He has allowed 14.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.06. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.32 and they have given up 89 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 98 times and walking 24 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.78 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.51 batters per nine. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.77. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 285 base knocks and 139 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 37 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 82 hitters and struck out 219. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.21.

As a team, they are batting .233, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .249 average at home. The Astros hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 27th in baseball with 7.6 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .319 and he has an OBP of .409. He has 38 hits this year along with 28 runs scored and 19 RBI. He's struck out 16 times and has walked on 15 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .288 and he has an OBP of .403. He has collected 30 hits so far while he's scored 16 runs and drove in 15. He has earned a walk 19 times and has punched out 27 times. The Astros as a unit have 228 base hits, including 62 doubles and 40 homers. They have 21 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 10 times. Houston as a team has walked 118 times this year and they have struck out 284 times. They've had 193 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They score 4.17 runs per game and have totaled 125 runs so far this season.

Seattle Mariners Betting Trends

The Seattle Mariners are 10-16-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Seattle Mariners are 15-14-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 16-10-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 11-19-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Seattle Mariners

05/07/16 P Taijuan Walker Neck "?" for next scheduled start
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

05/07/16 2B Jose Altuve Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Saturday vs. Seattle Mariners
04/04/16 P Lance McCuller Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/02/16 C Max Stassi Wrist 15-day DL (3/29)

Guy's Pick: Take the Mariners

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