Seattle and Minnesota are finishing up a four-game series on Thursday night at Safeco Field. Minnesota has taken two of the first three games as they have won the last two. Seattle grabbed a 2-0 win in game one, but has scored just one run in the last two games. The Mariners offense has been abysmal of late and Seattle will go with a bullpen game on Thursday. Reliever Tom Wilhelmsen will make his first Major League start tonight as we back Seattle at home.
Seattle will ask its bullpen to secure a series split with the Twins on Thursday night at home. Wilhelmsen has never started a Major League game and he will probably only throw three or four innings tonight. Wilhelmsen is a member of the league’s best bullpen, which features an ERA of 2.38 this season. Just last season, the bullpen was 29th in the league with an ERA of 4.56. Seattle is holding onto the second wild card spot in the AL right now.
Minnesota is 10.5 games out of first in the AL Central and going nowhere fast. The Twins are eight games under the .500 mark and just 4-6 in their last 10 games played. Minnesota will hand the ball to Yohan Pino tonight, who still has not won a game in his Major League career. Pino is 0-2 with a 4.98 ERA this season. His latest start, a no-decision against the Yankees, was an effective one. He allowed just one run in six innings pitched.
On Thursday night, when the Mariners host the Twins, we will place our bets at Sportsbook.ag, where Seattle is favored at home despite going with a bullpen game. We are going to bet 15 percent of our bankroll on Seattle and the -162 money line as they split this series with the Twins.
