The Seattle Mariners are on fire and quickly gaining ground in a crowded American League West.
The Mariners defeated the Chicago White Sox 14-2 on Monday night, coming within two games of the West-leading Texas Rangers and just half a game back of the Houston Astros.
The Mariners, who have now won seven straight, swept the Astros in Houston this weekend and kept their hot bats going to open the series in Chicago. Seattle scored five runs in the first inning, collected 15 hits and hit four home runs in the win.
Cleanup hitter Cal Raleigh led the way with two home runs and six runs batted in, while Luis Castillo gave up only one run in his seven innings on the mound.
After Monday night’s win, the Mariners are now +325 to win the AL West at BetMGM. The Rangers, losers of five in a row, are the favorites at +120, while the defending World Series champion Astros are at +130.
Can the Mariners hold out on Tuesday night? Seattle is a -155 road favorite at BetMGM with the home White Sox listed at +125. The total is 8.5 runs.
The White Sox are having a miserable season, but they have Mike Clevinger on the mound. He has been their best starter this season with an average of 3.26 earned runs in 16 starts. He allowed a total of four earned runs in his last five starts, including throwing seven shutout innings last week against the Chicago Cubs.
The Mariners go on the counter with Bryan Woo in his first start since August 3. The rookie righty is coming off the injured list after missing a few starts with forearm pain. Woo, who had a 4.75 ERA in 11 starts, had no underage rehab assignment, so he could potentially be on a pitch count in his return to the rotation.
What else is happening in MLB?
It’s a busy Tuesday in baseball with 15 games scheduled.
In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants, two of the teams competing in the wild card race, meet for the second game of a three-game series. The Phillies defeated the Giants 10-4 on Monday-evening, hitting four home runs in the process. That included an inside-the-parker from Bryce Harper in the fifth.
The Phillies are three games ahead in the wild card race, while the Giants are one of five teams within two games of each other in the crowded wild card standings. For Tuesday night’s matchup, the Phillies are -140 favorites at BetMGM while the Giants are +115.
In the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles start a series with the Toronto Blue Jays in first place. The Orioles, three games up in the division, are -120 home favorites, while the Blue Jays are +100. The Blue Jays are 8.5 games back East, but are just one game away from the final AL wild card spot.
Another team fighting for an AL wild card spot is the Boston Red Sox, who are +115 underdogs on the road against the Astros (-140).
The Rangers are +105 underdogs on the road versus the Arizona Diamondbacks (-125), one of those teams in the thick of the NL wild card race.
What’s the best guess? The Yankees are fading
I’m going to take the Washington Nationals as +155 road underdogs against the floundering New York Yankees.
As much as this is a blur from the Yankees, who have now lost eight straight games to fall four games below .500, it’s a game on the Nats. Washington has quietly been playing much better in recent weeks.
The Nats are 12-6 going into the month of August, including winning seven of their last nine. While the Nats will play all-star Josiah Gray, the Yankees have Carlos Rodon on the mound. Rodon has a 7.33 ERA and is coming off a stint on the injured list.
I play the road dog.
