Major League Baseball on Sunday afternoon and I will have a Free Pick in the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels, which will be played at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. First pitch is scheduled for a 3:35 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised locally.
Betting Odds
Mariners -114
Angels +104
Over/ Under: 7 -110
This is game 3 of a 3 game series between these American League foes. The Mariners took game 1 of this series, but the Angels fought back yesterday with a nice 4-2 win behind a solid outing from Garrett Richards. It was a gig win for the Halos, who were able to gain a game on the Houston Astros in the division. The Angels are still 4 games out, but the thought is that the Astros may be on the verge of going down some. The Mariners continue to have a bad year as they are now 7 games under .500 and 8 games behind the Astros. The Mariners rank 29th in scoring (3.37 rpg), while on the mound they are 13th in ERA (3.79). The Angels rank 23rd in scoring (3.91 rpg), while on the mound they are 11th in ERA (3.77).
Trend for this game include: The Mariners are 11-2 in Hernandez's last 13 starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5 and 15-3 in his last 18 games vs the AL West, but just 3-13 in their last 16 games as a favorite. The Halos are 41-18 in their last 59 home games vs. a team with a losing road record and 57-28 the last 85 games in the series, but just 3-13 in their last 16 games on Sunday.
Getting the ball for Seattle today will be Felix Hernandez, who is 10-4 with a 3.24 ERA on the year overall, while on the road he has gone 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Felix is 13-13 with a 3.41 ERA in 42 career starts vs the Halos, while at Angel Stadium he has gone 4-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 21 starts.
Toeing the rubber for the Los Angeles tonight will be Hector Santiago, who is 4-4 with a 2.68 ERA overall, while at home he has gone 2-1 with a 2.38 ERA. Santiago is 1-2 with a 4.57 ERA in 10 appearances (2 starts) vs the Mariners in his career.
Pick: Going with the Under in this game. The Mariners are not a good offensive team this year as they have averaged just 3.37 rpg on the year overall, including just 3 rpg in their last 10 games. I don't see their offense getting any better vs Hector Santiago, who has a a 2.38 ERA at home this year and he has allowed more than 3 ER's just once in his last 9 games, posting a 2.61 ERA over that stretch. Felix Hernandez has struggled of late, but he does have a solid 1.93 ERA in his 4 day starts this year, while in his last 10 starts vs the Halos he has a 1.09 ERA and has not allowed more than 2 ERs in any of those starts. He should be able to have a solid start in this ne vs an Angels team that has averaged just 2.43 rpg in their last 7 games. The Under is 13-2-2 in Hernandez' last 17 games vs the AL West, while the Under is 10-1-2 in LA's last 13 games as a home dog.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for MLB Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
In Defense of Pete Rose
A recent ESPN Outside the Lines piece revealed Pete Rose did more than just bet on baseball--he bet on the Cincinnati Reds aka the Big Red Machine during hist stint as player/manager. Since Rose never bet against his baseball team, pro bettors Teddy Covers and Steve Fezzik come to his defense, pointing out he never fixed games like, say, the Chicago Black Sox did. Comparing to other athletes who bet on sports, his lifetime ban from baseball and the Hall of Fame seems pretty harsh compared to the one-year ban of football player Alex Karas. In short, the sports world is being way too harsh on one of the great players of the game.