Seattle Mariners vs Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels (35-30) improved to 5-0 SU over their last five games with their 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners (30-32) on Friday night. The Angels will try to pick up another win over the Mariners when this three-game series continues in Anaheim on Saturday night.

Los Angeles also moved to 6-2 SU in its last eight games against Seattle with Friday’s victory. The Mariners have now allowed 8.8 runs per game over their last five games and are just 1-4 SU over that stretch. Friday night’s nine-run game went over the posted total of 7.5 to bring the OVER to 10-2-1 in the last 13 games between the Mariners and Angels.

Starting Pitcher Report: Mariners

Bryan Woo had a major-league debut to forget in last Saturday’s 16-6 Mariners loss to the Texas Rangers. Woo lasted only two innings in the loss and allowed seven hits and six earned runs in his short stint on the mound. The 23-year-old rookie enters his second start with a 27.00 ERA, a 4.00 WHIP and four strikeouts.

Woo had pitched 44 innings across nine starts with Seattle’s double-A affiliate prior to his call up to the majors last week. The right-hander was pitching well in the minors with a 2.05 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in his nine starts with the Arkansas Travelers.

Starting Pitcher Report: Angels

Patrick Sandoval pitched 3.1 innings and allowed eight hits, three walks and six earned runs in the Angels’ 9-6 loss to the Houston Astros last Saturday. Sandoval has struggled with a 5.46 ERA over his last five starts, bringing his season ERA up from 2.93 to 4.14 during that slump. The left-hander is now 3-5 on the year with a 1.40 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in 58.2 innings pitched.

Los Angeles is 0-4 SU in Sandoval’s last four starts since going 3-0 SU in his previous three starts. Sandoval has made seven career starts against the Mariners and has recorded a 2.45 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 40.1 innings against Seattle.

The Keys to Victory: Mariners

Not much has been going right for the Mariners during their current 2-7 SU slump. Seattle has given up 10 runs or more in five of those losses and has been outscored 66-27 in those nine games. The Mariners showed some life on offense with four runs on Friday night, but it wasn’t enough to get the job done.

Bryan Woo’s minor-league production this season suggests that he shouldn’t be quite as bad as he was in his terrible first start moving forward. Still, it’s safe to assume that Mariners backers are going to need a good deal of help from the offense if they hope to cash in on a Seattle upset on Saturday. 

The Keys to Victory: Angels

The Angels are on a nice roll with five straight wins thanks in large part due to their pitching. Los Angeles has allowed only 2.4 runs per game over this current 5-0 SU win streak after having allowed 6.4 runs during the 1-4 SU stretch that came right before it. Shohei Ohtani has also been hot at the plate with a six-game hit streak including Friday night’s 3-for-4 effort with a home run.

Prior to allowing six runs to the Astros, Patrick Sandoval had allowed three earned runs or fewer in five of his previous six games. If he returns to form against the Mariners in this one, the Angels should have a good shot at taking care of business as home favorites.