The Seattle Mariners (42-43) begin a 4-game series against the Houston Astros (49-38) on Thursday at Minute Maid Park. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Mariners vs. Astros odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Mariners lead 2-1
The Mariners were blanked by the San Francisco Giants 2-0 on Wednesday, snapping a 4-game winning streak. Seattle is 8 games back of the Texas Rangers in the AL West.
On Wednesday, the Astros defeated the Colorado Rockies 6-4, extending their winning streak to 4 games. Houston is 8-2 in its last 10 contests and is only 2 games back of the Rangers atop the division.
The Astros are expected to call up RHP Ronel Blanco to start Thursday’s series opener.
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Mariners at Astros projected starters
RHP George Kirby vs. RHP Ronel Blanco
Kirby (7-7, 3.21 ERA) makes his 17th start. He has a 1.04 WHIP, 0.8 BB/9 and 7.7 K/9 in 101 innings.
- Has pitched at least 6 innings in 13 of his 16 starts
- Has walked 1 or fewer batters in 38 of his 41 career starts
Blanco (2-0, 4.73 ERA) makes his 6th start. He has a 1.53 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9 and 8.8 K/9 in 40 innings.
- Has allowed multiple runs and walks in each of his 5 starts
- Has surrendered 2 HRs in 4 of his 5 starts
Mariners at Astros odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:18 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Mariners -115 (bet $115 to win $100 | Astros -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Mariners -1.5 (+140) | Astros +1.5 (-165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Mariners at Astros picks and predictions
Prediction
Astros 4, Mariners 3
Moneyline
Even with Kirby on the mound for the Mariners, I’ll side with the ASTROS (-105) at home. The Mariners are 14-37 in the last 51 road meetings against the Astros and 21-52 in the last 73 meetings overall.
Houston is also 42-19 in its last 61 games against a team with a losing record.
Run line/Against the spread
The Astros should win Thursday’s divisional matchup outright, so I’ll PASS on their run line at the current odds (-165).
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Over/Under
UNDER 8.5 (-120) is the play in this contest despite the Astros swinging a hot bat and Blanco consistently giving up runs. Houston is 3-1-1 in their last 5 games overall and in its last 5 games against teams in the AL West.
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