MLB Pick: Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros

The first-place Houston Astros host the second-place Seattle Mariners tonight for the start of a three-game series. Although these are the number one and number two teams in the AL West, the Mariners are light years away from the Astros, sitting a good 16.5 games out of first. No team in MLB has scored more runs than the Astros (544), has a bigger run differential (+167), or has hit more homers (151). Seattle has scored 98 fewer runs, has a RS/RA differential of 0, and has smacked 44 fewer round trippers. Our Mariners play Astros MLB free pick offers Seattle at +210 Houston at -222.

Pitching

For Seattle lefty Ariel Miranda (7-4, 4.15 ERA) will start tonight. He’s coming off of a no-decision against the Kansas City Royals, where he allowed six runs on five hits, including two homers. The Mariners lost that game 9-6. Miranda is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in four career starts versus Houston. Three of those games were played this season. In those games, he gave up 10 earned runs over 18 innings, earning a mark of 0-2 and a 5.00 ERA.

The Astros go with right-hander Lance McCullers (7-2, 3.05 ERA). McCullers last two games resulted in losses for the Astros with the pitcher going 0-1 with one no-decision. In his previous seven starts, Houston went 7-0 and McCullers was 5-0. In seven career starts against Seattle, he’s got a record of 5-2 with a 2.09 ERA. In two wins against Seattle this season against the Mariners, he’s got 15 Ks while allowing two runs over 11 innings.

Hitting

The Mariners are hitting .263 as a team with 107 homeruns. Top hitters include Jean Segura (.323 BA, 30 RBI, 6 HR), Ben Gamel (.323 BA, 29 RBI, 4 HR), and Nelson Cruz (.292 BA, 73 RBI, 19 HR). Robinson Cano is also having a solid season, driving in 63 RBI and hitting 18 homers. Another important offensive force is Kyle Seager with 12 homeruns and 49 RBI.

The Astros are killing it at the plate, betting .289 as a team. George Springer (.306 BA, 62 RBI, 27 HR) leads the team in homeruns. Eight different players are in double digits in round trippers. Carlos Correa, who is batting .321 with 20 homers, leads the club in RBI with 66, while Jose Altuve is tops in batting average at .350.

Mariners Play Astros MLB Free Pick

Houston has a good shot at winning this initial game of the series. McCullers had been pitching well, until he hit a bump or two, while Miranda has been fairly steady. The Houston offense can be overwhelming. Our Mariners play Astros MLB free pick is Houston at -222. The game is at 8:10 p.m. E.T.

Mariners Play Astros MLB Free Pick: Astros at -222