Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Houston Astros vs Seattle Mariners: Who gets on top of the AL West?

After a win last night, the Houston Astros will try to stay on top of the division when they visit the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Saturday.

How good are the Astros?

The Houston Astros are on top of the AL West with a 51-46 record, including 23-25 on the road. They have won 5 of their last 7 games and came to Seattle after back-to-back losses to the Texas Rangers. The Astros have a 3.99 ERA, a .234 batting average, a .317 on-base percentage, and 1.29 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Jose Altuve leads the team with 119 hits and 57 runs for the season, and Yordan Alvarez is on top with 19 home runs.

The Mariners have lost the last four games

The Seattle Mariners are second in the AL West with a 52-47 record, including 30-19 at home. They have lost the last four games and came into this series after three consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners have a 3.46 ERA, a .216 batting average, a .317 on-base percentage, and 1.29 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Julio Rodriguez leads the team with 100 hits and 44 runs while Cal Raleigh is on top with 20 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Mariners are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games overall, 2-7 SU in their last 9 home games, and 1-6 SU in their last 7 games against teams from the AL. Seattle has played under the total run line in 4 of their last 6 games overall, in their last five games against Houston, and the last five home games against them, as well as in 9 of their last 12 games against teams from the AL West. The Astros are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games overall, 2-5 SU in their last 7 games against Seattle, and 7-3 SU in their last 10 games on the road. Houston has played under the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games against teams from the AL.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both teams have equal winning percentages, and whoever wins this game will take over the top spot in the AL West. The Astros were the better team last night in a 3-0 win, scoring all three runs in the third inning. That was the fourth consecutive loss for the Mariners, who will try to bounce back with George Kirby, who is 7-7 for the season with a 3.29 ERA, 116 K, 117.2 IP, and 0.99 WHIP. The Astros will have Framber Valdez on the mound, who is 8-5 for the season with a 3.66 ERA, 82 K, 98.1 IP, and 1.28 WHIP. Both pitchers have had a solid season, and these two teams have played under the total run line in their last five head-to-head games. That’s why the total run line is set at only 7 runs for tonight’s game, so we are going with over in this one.