Take The UNDER In Mariners-Athletics Opener

The red-hot Oakland Athletics host the Seattle Mariners on Monday night as the AL West rivals battle for a potential wild-card berth. The Athletics extended their win streak to five with a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels this past weekend and stand as the betting favorites at -167.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Athletics come in as the home favorite at -167 while the Mariners are the underdogs at +125. The total is set at 7 runs with the UNDER at 6-4 in the last 10 games between these teams. Seattle has won its last five outings against Oakland.

Starting Pitchers Analysis

Tyler Anderson was solid in his most recent outing, allowing just one earned run and four hits in 4.1 innings against the Boston Red Sox in a no-decision last Tuesday. Through 27 starts, the left-hander is 6-9 with a 4.14 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, splitting time between the Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Athletics will counter with a lefty of their own in Sean Manaea. The 29-year-old holds a 10-9 record through 29 starts, carrying a 3.95 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Manaea picked up the win in his last start against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, allowing five earned runs and nine hits through five innings.

Oakland News & Notes

The Athletics completed a three-game sweep of the Angels on Sunday, but their 3-2 win was far from easy. Up 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth, closer Sergio Romo allowed two hits to put runners on second and third. Jose Rojas then hit a liner to right field and Seth Brown airmailed the throw home, allowing both runners to score and sending the game to extras. In the 10th, the A’s advanced their free runner to third and Jed Lowrie hit a sacrifice fly for the go-ahead run and eventual game-winning RBI.

Thanks to their current five-game run, the Athletics sit just two games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the second AL wild-card spot. If they can extend their win streak against Seattle, it’ll make this home stretch very interesting for multiple teams in the playoff hunt.

Seattle News & Notes

Rookie Jarred Kelenic was the hero for Seattle on Sunday, collecting a home run and two doubles in a 7-1 win over Kansas City. The 22-year-old outfielder was hot all series long, going 5-for-9 with three homers, three walks and seven RBIs in the three-game set.

While the Mariners are technically still in the AL wild-card race, they’ve got a lot of work to do to catch the pack. They sit four games back of the Blue Jays for the second wild-card spot, 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees and two games back of the Athletics. With 13 games remaining on their schedule, they’ll need a lot of wins and a lot of luck to make their postseason dreams come true.

Staff Betting Pick: UNDER 7 runs

With two mediocre offences going head-to-head and a potential wild-card berth on the line, tonight’s game has all the makings of a tight affair with a playoff-like atmosphere. Expect a low-scoring game where neither team wants to make too many mistakes. Take the UNDER in this one.