Mariners vs Athletics Odds and Picks (Sep. 22)
- The Mariners and Athletics continue a very important series on Wednesday
- Oakland is a -145 home favorite
- Read on for the odds, betting analysis, and prediction
Two AL West foes continue to battle it out on Wednesday, with the Seattle Mariners (82-69, 40-36 away) visiting the Oakland Athletics (82-69, 40-36 home) in the Bay Area. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:40 PM ET.
This series is extremely important for both teams, who are well in reach of the second Wild Card spot in the AL right now. Seattle has been the more dominant team in this matchup, winning seven straight after Tuesday’s victory. On the mound, it will be Chris Flexen and Cole Irvin going toe to toe.
Mariners vs Athletics Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Mariners | +125 | +1.5 (-160) | Ov 8.5 (-110) |
| Oakland Athletics | -145 | -1.5 (+140) | Un 8.5 (-110) |
Odds as of September 21st at DraftKings.
Probable Pitchers
Flexen has been Seattle’s best starter this season, posting a rotation-leading 3.66 ERA while throwing a team-high 162.1 innings. He’s also gone 12-6, which is by far better than any other Mariners arm. The 27-year-old always gives his team a chance to win a ballgame. In fact, Flexen has pitched at least five innings in each of his last nine outings. On September 17th, the California native held the Kansas City Royals to just one run and four hits across 5.2 frames.
I think righty Chris Flexen would benefit from throwing more changeups to righties. The pitch has his best Stuff+ rating, he’s been using it a little more against righties for good results, and overall it’s gotten his second-most whiffs (and most fouls) vs RHB of all his pitches. pic.twitter.com/RUC2mIQoKF
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) August 19, 2021
He’s not a huge strikeout guy, racking up just 110 K’s this season. Instead, Flexen heavily relies on his pinpoint command which has seen him walk just 36 batters all year. The right-hander pitches to contact and keeps his defense busy, with almost half of his outs coming on the ground. Flexen has already faced the A’s three times in 2021, compiling a 1-2 record and 4.00 ERA. However, he does pitch worse on the road, with his ERA rising to 4.32.
Flexen vs Irvin
| 12-6 | Record | 10-13 |
| 3.66 | ERA | 3.94 |
| 162.1 | Innings Pitched | 164.1 |
| 110 | SO | 112 |
| 36 | BB | 35 |
Oakland boasts a strong rotation and Irvin is a key piece of it. The southpaw has a 3.94 ERA this season while posting a 10-13 record. He’s been relatively consistent, but the A’s offense has struggled to provide him with run support. Irvin’s last two starts were terrific as well, allowing just one earned run against the Angels on September 17th. Prior to that, The 27-year-old surrendered only two earned to the Texas Rangers. Just like his counterpart on Wednesday, Irvin pitches to contact, as you can see by the strikeout numbers.
However, the Mariners have absolutely torched the lefty this season. In three outings, Irvin has a dismal 8.49 ERA against Seattle, allowing 11 earned runs in 11.2 innings. Although he does have a respectable 3.81 ERA at the Oakland Coliseum, this will certainly be a tough start for him given the opponent.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Athletics Hitters | Batting Average vs Flexen | Mariners Hitters | Batting Average vs Irvin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elvis Andrus | .400 | Jake Bauers | .000 |
| Seth Brown | .000 | J.P. Crawford | .625 |
| Mark Canha | .375 | Ty France | .333 |
| Matt Chapman | .333 | Mitch Haniger | .000 |
| Josh Harrison | .333 | Jarred Kelenic | .429 |
| Tony Kemp | .125 | Dylan Moore | .000 |
| Jed Lowrie | .000 | Tom Murphy | .800 |
| Starling Marte | .333 | Kyle Seager | .429 |
| Sean Murphy | .111 | Abraham Toro | .500 |
| Matt Olson | .333 | Luis Torrens | .750 |
The Mariners are starting to collect some crucial victories. They’ve now won three in a row after beating the A’s again on Tuesday and now trail the Blue Jays by just two games for the final Wild Card berth. This is clearly a very important series for both teams, but if Seattle can pull off the sweep, it will give them some breathing room, for the time being, from Oakland. However, they will face the Athletics again next week for a three-game set. Considering the M’s have the worst team average in the Majors at .224, it’s impressive they’re actually in the playoff hunt.
still watching this on repeat.
sheesh, @jp_crawford. pic.twitter.com/WzmzGrjX6U
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 22, 2021
Oakland has been playing better lately after a dry spell, but they honestly just can’t figure out Seattle. After Tuesday’s loss, the A’s have now lost seven consecutive games to their division rivals. Bob Melvin’s squad will get a boost to their staff on Thursday though, with ace Chris Bassitt returning from a scary injury where he was nailed in the head with a line drive. The fight for a spot in the Wild Card game is going to be extremely tough for this team, however. Six of Oakland’s last 11 games are against the mighty Houston Astros.
Mariners vs Athletics Prediction
Even though the Mariners have Oakland’s number right now, I’m going out on a whim and taking the A’s to cover the runline here. While Irvin has had his problems with Seattle, I think he’s finally in line for a good start against them.
Pick: Oakland Athletics -1.5 (+140)
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
