Seattle and Oakland close down their three-game set at Oakland Coliseum on Thursday, June 23, 2022, so we’re taking a closer look at this AL West showdown to get you the best Mariners vs. Athletics betting pick and odds. 

The Mariners open as small -114 moneyline favorites for Thursday’s showdown in Oakland. The Athletics are +104 home underdogs, while the totals sit at 7.0 runs on BetOnline Sportsbook.  

The Mariners smashed the A’s in Tuesday’s opener                                      

The Seattle Mariners put an end to their three-game losing streak last Tuesday. They beat the Athletics 8-2 as -128 moneyline favorites, while four Mariners went yard, including Julio Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez. 

The M’s finally broke out of their funk after hitting .217/.309/.359 in the last couple of weeks. At least, their pitching staff has done a good job in that span, racking up a firm 2.82 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Robbie Ray will toe the slab Thursday at Oakland Coliseum, and the 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner is 6-6 with a disappointing 4.25 ERA and 4.29 FIP in 14 starts (84.2 innings) this season. 

Ray has been outstanding over his previous two starts. After blanking the Red Sox across seven innings, the 30-year-old southpaw tossed seven frames of a one-run ball in an 8-1 victory to the Los Angeles Angels while punching out ten. 

The A’s are slumping in June     

Wednesday’s battle from Oakland Coliseum is not included in the analysis, and the 23-46 Oakland Athletics were hoping to bounce back from that 8-2 loss in Tuesday’s opener. They were sitting bottom of the AL West, seven games behind the fourth-placed Mariners. 

The A’s hold the worst record in baseball. They score only 3.17 runs per game (29th in the MLB) and surrender 4.61 in a return (22nd). In their last 12 outings, the Athletics have accounted for 34 runs on a poor .210/.266/.370 slash line while posting a pedestrian 5.26 ERA. 

Frankie Montas will toe the rubber Thursday, carrying a 3-7 record, 3.53 ERA, and 1.14 WHIP in 14 starts (81.2 innings) this season. The 29-year-old righty hasn’t been at his best lately, notching a 4.13 ERA and .354 BABIP over his previous four starts and 24 innings of work. 

Trends:

Seattle: 

  • 14-2 in the last 16 games against Oakland    

Oakland:

  • 3-16 in the last 19 games overall     
  • 2-13 in the last 15 games at home
  • 0-7 in the last seven home games against Seattle    

Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics Pick 

The Mariners hope to get another strong start from Robbie Ray, who’s been far away from his top form in the first two months of the season. Ray met the A’s on May 25 and took a loss in a 4-2 defeat, allowing three earned runs across six innings while striking out ten. 

The Athletics have been a disaster as of late and could easily struggle to get anything from this matchup. If Ray continues to improve, the Mariners shouldn’t have any problems winning at Oakland Coliseum on Thursday. 

Pick: Take Seattle Mariners at -114                               

The Total:

I’ve mentioned how bad these two teams have been at the plate in the last couple of weeks. They still combined for ten runs last Tuesday, but I’m not sure the Mariners and A’s will be able to replicate that performance when Robbie Ray and Frankie Montas take the mound. 

In the last ten days of action, Seattle’s bullpen has registered a 3.82 ERA and 3.61 FIP, while Oakland’s relievers have posted a 3.86 ERA and 4.80 FIP. We shouldn’t see a high-scoring affair, but you cannot feel comfortable with a seven-run line. 

Pick: Go under 7.0 runs at -105