Leading up to game two of this AL West battle, the Athletics (46-104, 24-51 home) will send Paul Blackburn to the mound to take on the Mariners (82-68, 41-35 away) and Luis Castillo. Find out who I like to come out on top in this Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics matchup in Oakland.

SEATTLE MARINERS VS OAKLAND ATHLETICS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Oakland Athletics +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum at 9:40 ET on Tuesday, September 19th.

WHY BET THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS:

  • The Mariners have gone just 1-2 in their last three games vs. the runline.
  • In their five most recent games as the favorite, the Mariners have gone just 2-3 against the runline.
  • Across Paul Blackburn’s 18 starts, the Athletics have put together a record of 10-8.

SEATTLE MARINERS TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN AL WEST

With an overall record of 82-68, the Mariners are 2nd in the AL West. When playing at home, they are 41-33 and 41-35. So far, Seattle has a record of 49-49 against below .500 teams and have played in 47 series, going 24-21-2.

Seattle is counting on Luis Castillo to keep up his strong performance, as he has earned victories in two consecutive games. His ERA currently stands at 3.08, and he has a record of 13-7. Castillo has tallied 199 strikeouts this season and is holding opposing batters to a .208 batting average. Teams have a slugging percentage of .379 when facing him.

Luis Castillo notched a quality start and the win in his last game against the Angels, as the Mariners emerged victorious with a 3-2 scoreline. Over six innings, Castillo surrendered two runs and three hits.

During their last ten games, Seattle is the 20th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .231 and are averaging 3.9 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Mariners are hitting .243 with an OBP of .322 while averaging 4.7 runs per contest. This figure puts them 11th in the league.

J.P. Crawford has been a key contributor to the Mariners’ offense over their last five games, leading the team in hits and batting .362. This season, he has put up an impressive .265 batting average and 55 RBIs.

WILL THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Heading into today’s game, the Athletics are 5th in the AL West on an overall record of 46-104. So far, they have played in 47 series, and are below .500 at 12-33-2. This season, the Athletics are 24-51 at home and 22-53 on the road.

Paul Blackburn is 4-5 with an ERA of 4.14 this season. On the road, he has a 2-3 record and 6.46 ERA in 10 appearances, while at home he is 2-2 with a 3.57 ERA. His WHIP stands at 1.54, and opponents are batting .288 against him with a slugging percentage of .438.

Paul Blackburn’s most recent start ended in a 6-2 loss to the Astros. The Athletics pitcher surrendered four earned runs on four hits, resulting in a brief appearance.

In their ten most recent games, the Athletics have put together a batting average of only .209, placing them 26th compared to the rest of the league. At 3.6 runs per game, Oakland is 28th in the MLB. This figure has come on a team batting average of .224 and OPS of .671 which has them 27th in baseball.

Over the Athletics’ last five games, Zack Gelof has been their most productive hitter, batting .312 and leading the team in hits. On the season, he is hitting .269 and has driven in 26 runs.