Royals vs Mariners Odds, Betting Lines, and Picks (August 28)

• The Seattle Mariners are -150 favorites over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday (August 28th, 4:10 pm ET)
• Seattle will give the ball to Tyler Anderson (1-0, 3.00 ERA), while KC will counter with Carlos Hernandez (4-1, 3.97 ERA)
• Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction

Game 3 of the Royals and Mariners four-game set goes Saturday (August 28th), inside T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The M’s remain very much alive in the race for the AL’s second Wild Card, while KC has been reduced to playing the role of spoiler.

Royals vs Mariners Odds

Odds as of August 27th at DraftKings.

The Mariners opened up as a -150 favorite, in a game that features a total of 8.5. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 pm ET, and features what should be a fantastic pitching matchup.

Probable Pitchers

Tyler Anderson will toe the rubber for Seattle, looking to continue his streak of quality outings. The left-hander has allowed two runs or less in four straight starts, and has yet to taste defeat in five contests since being acquired from Pittsburgh.

Tyler Anderson has gone at least 5.0 IP in 25 consecutive starts, tied with Walker Buehler-LAD for longest active streak of 5.0+ IP in the Majors.

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) August 22, 2021

The 31-year-old is fresh off limiting the high powered Astros to just two runs over 5.1 innings last time out, and owns a sparkling 1.69 ERA in Seattle this season.

Hernandez vs Anderson

Anderson doesn’t have a ton of history versus the Royals, but the batters who have faced him have not fared well. KC hitters are 4-for-23 against him, with an abysmal .119 slugging percentage.

The Royals are not typically a lineup to fear, as they rank bottom-seven in runs, homers, OBP and OPS+, but a recent surge at the plate has propelled them to eight wins in their last 11 contests entering Friday. They’ve scored at least five runs in five of their past seven over that stretch, including six in the series opener.

GRAND SLAM… man, Salvador Perez is having himself a year

(via @mlb)pic.twitter.com/ZXCEzX5gWx

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 27, 2021

Salvador Perez in particular is a name to watch, as he’s homered five times in his past seven games, giving him 35 homers on the year.

KC will counter with Carlos Hernandez, who’s on a nice little run of his own. He’s surrendered one run or less in five straight outings, and is fresh off a four-hit gem versus the Cubs.

He whiffed eight Chicago batters that nigh, and the Royals are 4-1 in his last five starts. During that stretch he’s also turned in fantastic outings against the White Sox and Yankees, holding two of the AL’s top-five lineups to a combined two runs over 17.2 innings.

Carlos Hernández fanned a season-high 8 SO and continued pitching well in August – 2.55 ERA & 1.01 WHIP.

I was worried about the sustainability with the double-digit walk rate, but at this point, he's startable in most matchups with the recent hot stretch. pic.twitter.com/8ZaMQwok35

— Corbin (@corbin_young21) August 22, 2021

Hernandez has never faced Seattle in his career, but this is not a lineup to be weary of. Like KC, the Mariners rank in the bottom-seven in OBP, slugging, and OPS, while no team in baseball has a worse batting average.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

Entering play Friday, Seattle has crossed the plate three or fewer times in six of its past 10, and boast a lower batting average, OBP, and slugging percentage at home compared to on the road.

Royals vs Mariners Pick

Given the strength of the pitching matchup, and the lacklustre offense from the Mariners in particular, targeting the under makes sense, especially at plus money.

Entering Friday, seven of the Royals’ past 10 contests have come in under the total, while 58% of their games as an away underdog have also hit the under.

We’re back home tonight. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/iQnwlXIHck

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 26, 2021

Not to be outdone, 54% of Seattle’s home games have gone under, including 71.4% of the outings at T-Mobile Park in which they’ve been favored.

Pick: Under 8.5 (+100)