Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics Betting Preview/Prop Picks
19 August 2022
Time: 9:40 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle 16.621; Oakland 14.284
Dunkel Line & Total: Seattle by 2 ½; 12
Vegas Line & Total: Seattle (-137); 7 ½
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-137); Over
With a record of 65-54, the Seattle Mariners rank second in the AL West. They’re coming off of a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels, so we’d say morale is high.
Now, they get a chance to beat a division rival to kick off a three-game series. They come into this game as favorites, but the question is, can they cover? Oakland can be a tough team to take out.
The Oakland Athletics have a 43-76 record, but don’t let that fool you; they can win games. In fact, they recently won back-to-back games against the Texas Rangers.
They’ve had a tough time at the plate this year, which is something to keep an eye on. In one of those wins, however, they put up seven runs against Texas. So, which team should you put your wager on tonight?
Seattle Mariners: Seattle has a significant edge at the plate
There are a few things that you have to take into consideration when placing your bets on this game. The first thing that we’re going to take a look at is how the Mariners have performed at the plate.
This season, Seattle has a .232 batting average, significantly higher than the Oakland Athletics. However, in this particular category, the Mariners rank 25th in the league.
With one of the worst batting averages, some might forget that they rank 15th in on-base percentage. They also have a .383 slugging percentage, ranking 20th. Where they could use a lot of help is on the mound.
Tonight, they’ll start Marco Gonzales; Gonzales is 7-12 with an ERA of 4.18. In the pitching category, the Oakland Athletics actually have the edge tonight.
Oakland Athletics: Pitching could be the key for Oakland tonight
It’s no secret that great pitching can win you a few games. Although the Athletics don’t have the best bullpen, they definitely have an advantage tonight. Getting the start for Oakland is Cole Irvin, who has thrown 129.1 innings this season.
Although he has a record of 6-10, Cole has an ERA of 3.13 this season. With him on the mound, the Athletics have a chance to win.
The problem is, regardless of how well Cole plays, he’ll need help from his batters. This is where our concern for Oakland begins to grow. As a team, the Athletics have a batting average of .215, ranking last in Major League Baseball.
They also rank last in on-base percentage at .279 and 29th in runs (403). This kind of performance is why they’re 43-76 this season.
Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics Betting Pick
After looking at each of these teams, bettors are likely having trouble deciding who to take.
On the one hand, you have the Seattle Mariners, who are much better at the plate than Oakland. However, Oakland has a better starting pitcher, which could determine the course of the game.
The Seattle Mariners come into this game as -137 favorites in this one. Oakland has a record of 17-38 at home this season.
The last time these two played, it ended in a 2-1 Seattle Mariners win. Because of this, we’ll take the Seattle Mariners -137 on the road and the over.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Seattle Mariners -137, OVER
Prop Picks
Seattle (-145) OVER 3.5 Runs
Oakland is allowing 4.52 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 23 in the league. That average increases to 4.69 runs per 9 innings at home. Seattle is averaging 4.13 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 23 in the league. That average increases to 4.37 runs per 9 innings on the road. Scores have gone OVER in nine of the Mariners’ last 12 road games.
With Dunkel predicting a Seattle victory by the score of 7-5, take the Mariners (-145) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against the A’s.
Seattle (-135) Most Hits
Seattle is averaging 7.71 hits per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 25 in the league. That average increases to 8.06 hits per 9 innings on the road. Oakland is averaging 7.04 hits per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 30 in the league. That average decreases to 6.44 hits per 9 innings at home.
With Dunkel predicting a Seattle road victory, take the Mariners (-135) to finish with more hits than the A’s.
Julio Rodriguez (-105) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored
Rodriguez has scored 59 runs in 102 games played this season, which ranks No. 1 on the Mariners. The center fielder has scored 11 runs in 37 at-bats with a OBP of .415 versus Oakland, the most runs he has scored against a team.
With Dunkel predicting a Mariners win while going OVER their Vegas run total, take Rodriguez (-105) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored against Oakland.
Keep up with your latest MLB news coverage at The Dunkel Index.
All Media on this page by Associated Press.
