The Seattle Mariners (21-24, 9-12 away) and the San Diego Padres (28-17, 16-10 home) battle in game two of a three-game interleague weekend set. San Diego erupted in game one, thumping the Mariners, 16-1, Friday night.
The first pitch of Saturday’s contest is at 8:40 p.m. EST inside Petco Park in San Diego, CA. According to oddsmakers, the Padres are favored (-210), and the run total is 7.5.
What to Know – Seattle Mariners
Seattle comes into the weekend losers of its last three games. The Mariners have now lost eight of their previous 11 games heading into Friday night. Seattle sits in third place in the AL West standings.
Southpaw Justus Sheffield (3-3, 4.62 ERA, 1.46 WHIP) takes the mound for the visiting Mariners. Sheffield’s thrown 39.0 innings this season, allowing 20 earned runs on 44 hits with 31 strikeouts. The 25-year old logged 6.0 innings in his last start, surrendering two earned runs on five hits for his third victory of the season.
The Mariners average 3.8 runs per game and rank last in the majors, hitting .198 as a team. Outfielder Mitch Haniger has bounced back this season after a slew of injuries kept him out of the lineup for the better part of two seasons, leading Seattle with 12 home runs and 30 runs driven in. Third baseman Kyle Seager is also a threat at the plate, accounting for nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 2021.
What to Know – San Diego Padres
The Padres have won six games in a row as the weekend series against the Mariners. San Diego hasn’t lost since a 3-2 defeat in game two of a doubleheader to Colorado back on May 12th. The winning streak has pushed the Padres to second in the NL West standings.
Ryan Weathers (2-1, 1.37 ERA, 0.76 WHIP) is tabbed to start for the Padres. The 21-year old lefty has tossed 26.1 innings this season, giving up four earned runs on 13 hits with 20 strikeouts. Weathers pitched 4.0 innings in his last start, allowing four hits and two earned runs in the no-decision.
San Diego scores 4.3 runs per game and sits in 13th place in the MLB, sporting a .238 team batting average. Third baseman Manny Machado has driven in a team-high 28 runs and is second on the team with six home runs. Second baseman Jake Croneworth is the team leader in batting average (.305), hits (50), and runs scored (27).
The Pick is In
Fans are in for interleague action when these two West Coast teams take on each other Saturday night. San Diego had no trouble putting away Seattle in the opener, and you can expect more of the same Saturday night.
Expect the Padres offense to continue to beat up on opposing pitching, while Weathers and the bullpen will keep one of the worst offense’s in baseball at bay. This could turn out to be another blowout victory for the Friars.
The Pick: San Deigo Padres -1.5
