The Mariners travel to Los Angeles for a quick, two-game set with the sputtering Dodgers after dropping two of three to Texas. Let’s analyze this Tuesday night interconference clash and keep cashing our MLB picks.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 – 10:10 PM EDT at Dodger Stadium
The Mariners opened their three-game set with the Rangers by claiming a 5-4 decision on Friday. However, the good times were short-lived as Seattle’s pitching was torched in the following two games when they lost 9-8 and 10-2 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.Entering the bottom of the fifth inning in Sunday’s contest the Mariners were ahead, 2-1, in what was shaping up to be a pitching duel. However, the Rangers found their range and blasted starter Justus Sheffield for four runs before touching reliever, Wyatt Mills, for another two and ending the inning with a 7-2 lead. Texas would do more damage before the day was through and closed with a 10-2 decision.
"Not the way we wanted the series to play out after we got the win on Friday night," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "Texas is about as hot an offensive club as we've seen all year. That combined with we didn't play good defense today. "Southpaw Yusei Kikuchi (1-2, 4.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) will get the starting assignment for Tuesday night’s tilt with the defending World Series champs. The 29-year-old Japanese import last took the mound on Wednesday night against the Orioles in which he tossed seven full innings of five-hit, three-run baseball in what resulted in a 6-0 loss to Baltimore.
Los Angeles has dropped six of their last eight games yet is still only 2 ½ games out of first place, trailing both the Giants and Padres in the NL West. Most recently, the Dodgers and Angels continued their Freeway Series over the weekend with the Angels blasting the Dodgers 9-2 on Friday night before the Dodgers exacted their revenge with a 14-11 victory on Saturday. However, the rubber game saw the Angels secure a 2-1 win on Sunday as the Dodgers bats fell silent against a suddenly potent Halos’ bullpen.
Shortstop Corey Seager had three hits on the day and his team drew nine walks but could not get the clutch hitting they have counted on so often in the past. "We got a lot of guys on base. We didn't get the hits in key situations," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "They got the big hit with two outs." LA will send Walker Buehler (1-0, 3.13 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) to the hill on Tuesday night as the Dodgers open up a nine-game homestand. The 26-year-old righty has gone at least six innings in all six starts this season and most recently held the Cubs to two runs, on five hits over six innings of work in what was a 6-5 extra-innings loss on Wednesday of last week.
These teams have met just twice this season with both games being played on April 19th and 20th in Seattle. The Mariners scored a 4-3 win in the opening game while the Dodgers eked out a 1-0 victory in the second. However, it should be noted that Seattle is 0-5 in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles and 3-11 in the last 14 meetings. The Dodgers are too good to be this bad for very long. Eventually, the cream rises to the top and the same will hold true for Big Blue. For all of their woes this season, LA is ranked second in the league in runs scored, trailing only the Red Sox, while the Mariners rank 19th in that category.
If we look at another important offensive metric, team batting average, we see the Dodgers are hitting a collective .241, placing them 10th while the Mariners are ranked 29th of 30 teams and hitting a paltry .210. I like the matchup in this one as I believe Walker Buehler will give his teammates an excellent chance to win this game and get their homestand off on a winning note. Seattle does not have the offensive chops to stay with the Dodgers if their bats awaken from their slumber. The early MLB odds on this one reveals the Dodgers as -255 favorites, which is a bit too steep for us. So, let’s opt for the moneyline, lay the 1 ½ runs, and watch Big Blue break out in a big way on Tuesday night.
MLB Pick: Dodgers -1 ½ (-125) at BetOnline