The final week of the MLB regular season is here. Naturally, the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are still fighting to make the playoffs. So, this comes down to which team is more likely to take one step closer to the postseason. We dive headfirst into this Monday night game with the Seattle Mariners at home versus the Boston Houston Astros. So, which team can stop losing? VegasBetting presents the Astros vs Mariners Betting Picks.
Can someone or anyone start winning for that matter?
Yes, the American League West is far from settled. Our concern with Texas, who is back on a five-game winning streak is this. These teams can easily win several games or lose several games in a row. Unfortunately, one gets that impression with a lot of teams this September. MLB Betting keeps getting more and more difficult.
Seattle has a pretty good home record at 41-33 (at press time), yet Houston is 46-29 on the road in 2023. Now, both of these teams feature a run differential in the +100 to +120 range. With six or seven games to go heading into a potential play-in game, every division meeting takes on more importance. Remember, this is the opener of a three-game series between Houston and Seattle.
Seattle and Houston put their trust in their starting pitching. Both staffs rank in the top ten overall when it comes to ERA and their pitching has buoyed their runs to this point. Seattle is a mere half game away from Houston in the standings. That goes for the wildcard as well. Could this come down to a play-in game? Now, the Astros believe the have the edge on the road, but Seattle enjoys some home cooking all this week.
Okay, BetOnline rolls with their top online sportsbook review and considers a few more bets. This week gives Seattle their chance. Again, Texas may be the real wildcard in this. Ultimately, the Rangers may help determine the fate of the Mariners almost as much as the Mariners. A crazy season really does come down to this final week where it feels like everyone plays each other.
So, the Astros vs Mariners Betting Picks for Monday expect to see quite the pitching matchup at T-Mobile Park. However, the last time these two teams faced each other was on August 20th. In that game, Seattle rallied and defeated Houston by a score of 7-6. It becomes kind of poetic that the American League West gets decided on the final week of the season. Do not assume the division race is over.
Then, VegasBetting enjoys this Justin Verlander vs Luis Castillo matchup. As we mentioned, these pitchers will give up their fair share of home runs. Verlander has allowed 18 and Castillo 26. On the other hand, both hurlers are masterful at minimizing damage. Castillo has kept his ERA right around 3 all season while the Houston starter is around the same since joining the Astros after a trade from the Mets.
Numbers seem to somewhat favor Houston here. How do you lose three straight to Kansas City though? That becomes a mystery of mysteries. It is why Seattle may have the upper hand here. These two teams lie pretty close to even on paper. Pitching tends to win in these final weeks along with timely hitting. Seattle may have a very slight advantage on the surface here.
Houston trusting their postseason hopes to Verlander is not a surprise. He succeeded so many times for the Astros in the past. Father Time becomes relentless and the pitcher is now 40 years old. Meanwhile, Luis Castillo is 30 and enjoying a renaissance in Seattle. This is, by far, his best season, since he won 15 with the Cincinnati Reds in 2019. He gives Seattle a much better chance to win on Monday because Castillo can slow Houston down.
Is the spread good with the Astros vs Mariners Betting Picks? Again, Castillo is one of those pitchers that can turn it on at the right time. In his previous eight starts, the Seattle pitcher is 7-0. He brought his ERA down from 3.21 to 3.06 and he keeps striking batters out. We will get to that later. The bottom line is Castillo is giving up less in the way of long balls (four over that span). Houston is a team that does like to bash the ball.
Now, why is the spread still on the table? Simply, the number presents with so much value because of Houston’s body of work. A team that is 17 games over .500 on the road gets some benefit and love from the books. With both teams battling for their postseason lives, that edge seems to favor Houston too. But at some point, a team plays too much baseball and the fire gets too hot. Seattle laying 1.5 runs comes in at a staggering +185.
So, this Mariners team gets anchored and boosted by Julio Gonzalez. Gonzalez has 100 RBI’s and 31 home runs on the season. Seattle has some pretty good balance with three other batters over 20 home runs and two others at 90 RBI’s. Houston may have more offense but lately they have struggled losing five of six and nine of 14.
MLB Vegas Online Betting Sites props us up. Look at the over for Luis Castillo when it comes to strikeouts. He has eight in each of his last three starts.
See some excellent betting sites below where one can bet some more:
