The Oakland Athletics (+115) host the Seattle Mariners (-135) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Thursday with the home team in position to sweep the three-game series. The early total was set at 7 (O: -120 | U: +100). The Athletics (55-94) lead the series 2-0 after winning 2-1 on Wednesday, their fourth straight head-to-head victory and seventh in 15 games this season. James Kaprielian threw seven scoreless innings for the win, and Domingo Acevedo picked up his fourth save with a scoreless ninth. Jordan Diaz went 2 for 2 with one run in the win. Vimael Machin added a double and one run. Luis Torrens was 1 for 1 with a solo home run for the Mariners (81-67).
ON THE MOUND
George Kirby (7-4, 2.98 ERA) is slated to take the mound for Seattle. The right-hander allowed two runs over six innings in his last start, a 2-1 road defeat against the Angels on Saturday. He took the loss, giving up four hits while striking out eight and walking one. Over three previous starts against the Athletics this season, Kirby has allowed only five earned runs over 18 innings (1-0, 2.50). He has struck out 24 and walked two. For Oakland, righty Adrian Martinez (4-5, 5.77 ERA) will toe the rubber. He has made one prior start against the Mariners this season, giving up seven runs over 4.2 innings in an 8-6 road defeat on June 30. He gave up seven hits and walked two, while striking out three in the loss. In his last start on Friday, Martinez took the loss on the road against the Astros. He threw five innings and gave up four runs on four hits, striking out six and walking three in the 5-0 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Seattle has averaged only 2.6 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.2, while slashing worse across the board (.161/.240/.310). Against right-handed pitchers like Martinez this season, the M’s have a .696 OPS. Julio Rodriguez is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .850 OPS in 382 at-bats. Oakland is averaging only 3.2 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 3.5 for the season. The A’s have a .623 OPS against right-handers in 2022, second lowest in the league. With a .777 OPS over 378 at-bats, Seth Brown has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Seattle is 42-35 in away games in 2022, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 3.8 runs. Oakland has won three in a row at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The A’s are 25-49 at home this season, averaging 3.0 runs per game while surrendering 4.9. In the last 10 games between the AL West rivals at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Seattle is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.7-2.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mariners are second in the AL West, 17 games behind the division-leading Astros. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting third with a magic number of zero. The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 43 games behind the Astros.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Seattle Mariners (-250)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
