JP Sears will get the start for the Athletics (46-103, 24-50 home) as they host the Mariners (81-68, 40-35 away) at Oakland Coliseum. The Mariners will give the starting nod to Bryan Woo. Check out my prediction for game one of this AL West matchup between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.

SEATTLE MARINERS VS OAKLAND ATHLETICS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Seattle Mariners -170

This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum at 9:40 ET on Monday, September 18th.

WHY BET THE SEATTLE MARINERS:

  • Coming into the game, the Athletics have gone just 2-3 in their last five home games.
  • The Athletics have been struggling of late, having lost each of their last four straight games.
  • For the season, the Mariners have gone 8-7 with Bryan Woo on the mound as the starter.

CAN THE SEATTLE MARINERS PULL OUT A WIN AS ROAD FAVORITES?

Entering game 150 of their season, the Mariners are 2.5 games out in the AL West and are in 3rd place. So far, their overall series record stands at 24-20-2. Seattle’s road winning percent is currently 53.3% (40-35) compared to 55.4% at home (41-33).

Bryan Woo’s 2023 season has seen him post a 3-4 record and 4.16 ERA. On the road, he has gone 1-2 with an ERA of 6.11, while his home record is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.53. His WHIP stands at 1.15, and opponents have managed to hit .222 against him with a slugging percentage of .369.

The Seattle Mariners are banking on Bryan Woo to lead them to another victory, as they cruised past the Angels 8-0 in his last start. Woo was impressive in his outing, allowing just four hits and no earned runs over 5 2/3 innings.

So far this season, the Mariners’ has gone deep 195 times, placing them 11th in the league. Over Seattle’s previous five games, they are 15th in runs scored, with their season average of 4.7 runs per game putting them 12th in the league. The Mariners’ overall team batting average stands at .244 along with an OBP of .322.

Julio Rodríguez has been a key contributor to the Seattle offense this season, boasting a .287 batting average and .500 slugging percentage. He has been especially impressive over the last ten games, leading the team in hits and batting an impressive .381.

WILL THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Athletics enter today’s game with an overall record of 46-103 which includes going 23-70 against teams with above .500 records. As of today, they are 5th in the AL West. Across their 46 series, Oakland is 12-32-2 and have records of 22-53 and 24-50 on the road and at home, respectively.

JP Sears will be on the mound for the Athletics, with a 5-11 record. In his 29 appearances this season, he has an ERA of 4.45 and opponents have batted .241 against him. Sears has issued 45 walks while striking out 144 batters, giving him a WHIP of 1.23 and a SLG allowed of .451.

JP Sears earned the win in his most recent start, a 6-2 victory over the Astros. The right-hander tossed six innings of two-run ball, allowing five hits and no walks. With the quality start, Sears improved to 3-1 on the season.

In their five most recent games, the Athletics have put together a batting average of only .191, placing them 26th compared to the rest of the league. At 3.7 runs per game, Oakland is 30th in the MLB. This figure has come on a team batting average of .224 and OPS of .672 which has them 28th in baseball.

Zack Gelof has been a key offensive contributor for the Oakland Athletics this season, boasting a .268 batting average and .523 slugging percentage. In the team’s last ten games, Gelof has been on fire at the plate, leading Oakland in hits with a .257 average.