Seattle Mariners vs. Boston Red Sox Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 5/21/2022

Time: 4:10 p.m. ET

Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Where to watch: ROOTNW, NESN

DraftKings: Red Sox -135, Mariners +115

BetMGM: NL

Caesars: NL

Mariners: 17-22

Red Sox: 16-22

Well, it started out well for the Seattle Mariners. They got out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Then everything just went haywire after that in the 12-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. More on that in a minute.

But the Mariners' underwhelming start to the season continued after bringing just six runs home on 10 hits, while the pitching staff got torched late into the game. George Kirby pitched five innings and gave up five runs, but the fact the Mariners couldn't do anything more until late in the game was a problem.

And what's worse? Julio Rodriguez had one of his best games as a rookie (he's starting to heat up at the right time) going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Eugenio Suarez was the only other Mariners batter to have more than one hit.

“I just didn’t really get ahead a lot,” Kirby explained. “It kind of put me in bad situations and counts. I could have used my pitches more, for sure. Getting ahead was the biggest thing.”

But while Kirby didn't have the best night, the bullpen didn't help matters, either. Two runs in the sixth, three runs in the seventh, three more in the eighth. But that's just another situation where the Mariners have completely just underperformed, especially the pitching rotation. It makes no sense that this group is struggling the way it is.

The story was, well, Trevor Story. The Boston Red Sox's big-time free-agent acquisition this offseason had one of the best games of his career on Thursday night with three home runs and seven RBI, outscoring the Mariners all by himself in the victory.

Story finished 4-for-4 and erased that early four-run deficit all by himself by the end of the third inning. Both two-run homers that totaled 402 and 403 feet, Story added to it in the sixth with an RBI single that gave Boston the lead for good. He capped his night off with a blast to left in the bottom of the eighth.

“Yeah, it was special,” said Story. “Just, like I’ve said, this is the best place. It’s a great atmosphere and an unbelievable place to play every night. To do it here is something I’ll remember forever.”

The second three-homer game of Story's career is another instance on what's been a solid run for the Red Sox as of late. They've won five of seven and, at the very least, have gotten out of the AL East basement that's normally occupied by the Baltimore Orioles.

But not bad for a guy who had just two homers in 32 games and entered the game batting .205.

"The at-bats are getting better. He keeps working hard at it and he's a good athlete. He will hit. We know that," manager Alex Cora said. "He's feeling comfortable in the environment and it's just a matter of time. Today was outstanding."

The Red Sox have too much talent, maybe minus the pitching, to be six games under .500 and I think we're going to see this group start to turn it up and hit some more dingers. Maybe not to the extent of Story, but you've got to start somewhere, I think.

It'll be Chris Flexen against Garrett Whitlock, and it's certainly been a wild ride for the Mariners' right-hander, just 1-6 with a 4.35 ERA this season. I'm honestly surprised with a record that bad that the ERA is that low. I think Flexen is going to rebound and get something rolling here. Mariners win 6-5

Mariners are 93-99 the past three seasons as an underdog.

Mariners are 5-12 as a road underdog between +100 and +150 this season.

Red Sox are 4-11 after a win this season.

Mariners:
Adam Frazier (L) LF
Ty France (R) 1B
Julio Rodriguez (R) CF
Jesse Winker (L) DH
Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
Luis Torrens (R) C
Abraham Toro (S) 2B
Dylan Moore (R) SS
Steven Souza Jr. (R) RF
SP - Chris Flexen

Red Sox:
Enrique Hernandez (R) CF
Rafael Devers (L) 3B
J.D. Martinez (R) DH
Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
Alex Verdugo (L) LF
Trevor Story (R) 2B
Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B
Christian Vazquez (R) C
Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF
SP - Garrett Whitlock

Batting average: Ty France -- .323

Hits: Ty France -- 50

Home runs: Eugenio Suarez -- 7

RBI: Ty France -- 28

Wins: Two tied -- 4

Saves: Two tied -- 2

ERA: Logan Gilbert -- 2.40

Batting average: J.D. Martinez -- .344

Hits: Rafael Devers -- 53

Home runs: Rafael Devers -- 7

RBI: Trevor Story -- 23

Wins: Two tied -- 3

Saves: Hansel Robles -- 2

ERA: Nick Pivetta -- 4.22