MLB Prediction: Can the Mariners bounce back vs. the Angels? 7/2/17
Can the Seattle Mariners bounce back against the Los Angeles Angels after being shutout last night when the two meet today at 3:37PM ET? Here’s our MLB Prediction for this AL West clash
THE ODDS
According to the latest oddsmakers, the Mariners are favored on the road today, as they are getting odds of -160 to win. The Angels are listed with odds of +145 to prevail, while the over/under total for the game has been set at 8.5 runs.
PITCHING MATCHUP
The pitching matchup for today’s game has James Paxton (5-3, 3.44 ERA) on the mound for the Mariners to face Jesse Chavez (5-8, 5.04) of the Angels. Paxton has struggled in recent starts, allowing 20 runs over his last five starts. He has allowed just 26 earned runs on the season over 68 innings. He has 79 strikeouts with 25 walks on the year and a 1.28 WHIP. Chavez has alternated good starts with bad lately and he is coming off one of his better ones, allowing just two runs in 5.1 innings against the Dodgers. He has 69 strikeouts with 30 walks on the year and a 1.35 WHIP.
RECORDS
These two have split the first two games of the series, each earning a shutout. The Mariners had a 10-0 win on Friday, while Los Angeles had a 4-0 win on Saturday. The Angels are 43-42 overall and 23-18 at home while the Mariners are 40-42 overall and 15-25 on the road.
SATURDAY’S RECAP
On Saturday, the Angels got a very surprising shutout from Ricky Nolasco. He went all nine innings and allowed just three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts to get to 4-9 on the season. Andrelton Simmons had a solo home run to lead the Angels while Cameron Maybin had a pair of hits. Seattle didn’t manage anything better than a single throughout the game.
MLB PREDICTION
Both teams have struggled at the plate in this series and Nolasco had an unlikely shutout last night, so it would be hard to discount Chavez today. However, trends show he struggles following a good start. The last two times he allowed just two runs in a start, he followed it up with six runs and five runs, respectively. Seattle should bounce back at the plate today and Paxton should be able to limit the damage of this L.A. batting order.
MLB Prediction: Seattle Mariners -160
