Los Angeles Angels (3-4) Jared Weaver -115, 8.5 O/U at Seattle Mariners
(6-2) Jarrod Washburn +105, 8.5 O/U, Safeco Field, Seattle, Wash., 10:10
PM EST, Wednesday
by Badger of Predictem.com
The Seattle Mariners will try and continue their surprising start to the 2009 season when they send veteran lefty Jarrod Washburn out to
the mound Wednesday versus their American League West rival Los
Angeles Angels and their young right-hander Jered Weaver.
There are plenty of reasons to be proud fan of the Mariners right now.
The Mariners, at 6-2, are off to their best start since the 2001
season and their current five-game winning streak is longer than any
winning streak they had in all of their dismal 2008 campaign.
Theyre coming off of a boisterous and eventful opening day game at
Safeco Field yesterday, where Mariner fans welcomed back Ken Griffey,
Jr. with a roar and starting pitcher Carlos Silva went seven strong
innings (4 hits, 2 runs) to lead the Ms to a 3-2 victory in 10 innings.
Plus, the Mariners will regain the services of outfielder Ichiro
Suzuki tonight after starting the season the 15-day disabled list
with a stomach strain.
Oddsmakers dont seem to think the momentum that is on the Mariners side right now will amount to much, as they have pegged the Angels
and Weaver as slim -115 favorites on the moneyline. The Mariners and
Washburn are listed as +105 underdogs on the Dimeline, while the over/under total is listed at 8.5 at most offshore sportsbooks on the Internet.
There are many reasons why the Angels are the favorites going into
the contest tonight, and one of them is that Weaver has had some good
luck versus the Mariners in his career. Weaver is 6-2 in his 11
career starts versus the Ms with a 5.07 ERA, but it hasnt been
exactly easy as the Mariners have a .299 batting average against him
and his 1.46 WHIP versus them isnt stellar either.
Weaver is also coming off of a great first outing of the season too.
Pitching in the game following the loss of teammate Nick Adenhart,
Weaver went 6.2 innings and gave up just 4 hits and one run in the
Angels 6-3 victory over Boston last Friday.
But solid pitching is the reason the Mariners have gotten off to such
a hot start, as the staff ERA of 2.75 is 2nd in all of baseball and
the staff WHIP of .75 is 3rd in MLB. Washburn is a huge part of those
numbers as he went 8 innings and gave up only 5 hits in his 2-0
shutout victory over Minnesota last Thursday.
In his career, Washburn is 4-5 in 10 starts versus the Angels with a
4.31 ERA, a .286 opponents batting average and a 1.34 WHIP.
Offensively both teams are off to slow starts at the dish. The
Mariners are ranked 22nd in the league scoring 4.38 runs per game,
and the Angels are right behind them ranked 23rd with 4.0 runs per
contest. The Angels are hitting .262 as a team compared to the
Mariners mark of .253. But the Angels do a great job of manufacturing
runs and putting pressure on defenses, as they are currently 2nd in
baseball with 9 steals as a team.
Look for some non-regulars to get a start for the Angels tonight, as
both Robb Quinlan and outfielder Reggie Willits have great histories
versus Washburn. Quinlan is .417 with a homerun and a double in 24
plate appearances versus the lefty, while Willits has four hits and a
walk in his six appearances versus Washburn (.800 BA). Vlad Guerrero
(.379, 3 HR, 3 2B in 30 AB) and Erick Aybar (.571 in 10 PA) also have
had some good success versus the Mariners lefty in their careers.
For Seattle, the return of Ichiro could be a spark along with newly acquired Franklin
Gutierrez, who has been a great addition to the lineup, hits
Weaver well (3-for-5, .600) and started the Mariners 10th-inning
rally yesterday with a leadoff double. Kenji Johjima (.370, 2 2B, 10-
for-27) and Jose Lopez (.300, HR, 2B in 31 PA) also have had success
versus Weaver in the past.
If youre a fan of monitoring betting trends, the fact that the over is 9-0 in Weavers last nine starts versus the Mariners has to jump
off the page at you. Also, prior to last night the Angels have had
theyre way at Safeco Field, going 7-1 (now 7-2) in their last nine
meetings in Seattle.
Badgers Pick: Both teams hit nearly .300 off of the opposing starter, and both are due for a breakout game at the plate,
especially the Angels. So take the over of 8.5.