The Atlanta Braves (86-51) take one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league on the road to face the Seattle Mariners (77-60) at T-Mobile Park on Friday for the opener of a three-game Interleague series. The Braves are in the midst of an eight-game road trip. They are coming off a two-game sweep of the Athletics, taking the finale 7-3 on Wednesday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for their seventh straight win. Vaughn Grissom was 2 for 3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs. The Mariners are in the midst of an eight-game homestand. They lost two of three against the White Sox in their last series, dropping the finale 9-6 on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park. Eugenio Suarez went 2 for 5 with two home runs and three RBIs. The teams are meeting for the first time since August 23, 2017, when the Mariners finished off a 2-1 series win with a 9-6 victory at Truist Park.
ON THE MOUND
Charlie Morton (7-5, 4.01 ERA) is in line to get the start for Atlanta. The right-hander ranks fifth in the NL in strikeouts (175). Morton allowed one run over 5.2 innings in his last start, an 8-1 road win over the Marlins on September 2. He got the win, giving up four hits while striking out seven and walking two. For Seattle, lefty Robbie Ray (12-8, 3.45 ERA) gets the start. Ray made two appearances against the Braves in 2021, both as the starter, striking out 15 and walking none over 12.2 innings (1-0, 3.55).In his last start on Saturday, Ray got the win on the road against the Guardians. He threw six scoreless innings and gave up six hits, striking out three, in the 4-0 triumph. The left-hander ranks third in the AL in strikeouts (183).
AT THE PLATE
The Atlanta offense is averaging 5.0 runs per game for the season, second best in the league, with a slash line of .254/.319/.446. Austin Riley leads the team in OPS at .917. The third baseman is slashing .285/.356/.561 with 35 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 80 runs over 135 games. Over the last five games, however, Atlanta has averaged 6.8 runs a game while slashing better across the board (.298/.385/.530). Against lefties like Ray this season, the Braves have a .808 OPS, second highest in MLB. Riley also is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a 1.178 OPS in 122 at-bats. Seattle is slashing .230/.313/.386 for the season and averaging 4.2 runs per game. Julio Rodriguez leads the team with a .807 OPS. The center fielder has 23 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 74 runs scored with a slash line of .270/.331/.477. The M’s have a .694 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .805 OPS over 360 at-bats, Rodriguez also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Atlanta is 39-26 away from home in 2022, scoring 5.0 runs per game while allowing 4.0 runs. Seattle has gone 36-30 at T-Mobile Park this season, averaging 3.8 runs per game while surrendering 3.6. The teams have split their last eight games head-to-head at T-Mobile Park, though Seattle has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 3.0-2.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Braves are second in the NL East, zero games behind the division-leading Mets. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting first. The Mariners are second in the AL West, 11 games behind the Astros. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting second.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Atlanta Braves (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
