The Seattle Mariners put an end to their six-game losing streak on Monday night with a surprising 4-2 win over the Oakland Athletics. They’ll try to make it two in a row when the teams continue their series on Tuesday. However, Oakland remains favored with a -170 moneyline compared to Seattle’s moneyline of +145.
Before their six-game losing streak, the Mariners had actually won three in a row to get above .500. But with their recent losing skid, they are four games under .500 and 5.5 games behind Oakland in the AL West. If the Mariners can’t string some wins together soon, they could be looking at another lost season.
Meanwhile, the A’s are just trying to stay ahead of the Astros atop the AL West. With Houston losing three in a row, the A’s have been able to maintain a one-game cushion despite losing four of their last six games. Of course, Oakland’s margin for error is small if the A’s want to win the division.
Cole Fusion
The A’s will send lefty Cole Irvin to the mound on Tuesday. Despite being 3-5 over his first nine starts of the season, Irvin has impressed with a 3.59 ERA. However, the youngster pitches to contact, which can make him vulnerable as he tries to bounce back from giving up five runs on eight hits over five innings in a loss to the Astros last week.
Fortunately, the Oakland offense is typically reliable despite scoring just two runs during Monday’s loss. The trio of Ramon Laureano, Mark Canha, and Matt Olson has provided epic amounts of power this season, combining for 33 homers. Tony Kemp and Seth Brown are also coming on strong, with Brown hitting three home runs in his last four games, giving the A’s plenty of options to produce runs.
Learning on the Job
Logan Gilbert will be Seattle’s starter on Tuesday night. The 24-year-old was Seattle’s first-round pick in 2018 and will be making just his third career start. Despite dominating in the minors, Gilbert has struggled in his first two starts in the majors, giving up seven runs on nine hits over just 6.2 innings.
Meanwhile, the four runs the Mariners scored on Monday is where Seattle’s offense is maxing out these days. The Mariners have scored more than four runs just twice in their last 14 games. Mitch Haniger and Kyle Seager remain the team’s only reliable sources of offense, so it’s a crapshoot what the Mariners get from anybody else on a given night.
Safety First
While the Mariners were able to pull off a surprising win on Monday, don’t expect that to be a sign of things to come. Irvin has pitched well enough this season to keep a weak Seattle lineup off balance and under wraps for at least five or six innings. Meanwhile, the power in Oakland’s lineup could do some serious damage against an inexperienced pitcher like Gilbert. Bet on the A’s to beat the Mariners on Tuesday.
