Seattle Mariners vs Houston Astros Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/18/2023

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Friday, August 18, 2023

Venue:  Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX 

Where to Watch:  Sportsnet SW

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Mariners +130, Astros -150; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Mariners +130, Astros -150; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Mariners +130, Astros -150; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Seattle Mariners:  65-55 (3rd place, AL West)

Houston Astros:  70-52 (2nd place, AL West)

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Seattle Mariners:  7-3 last 10

Houston Astros:  7-3 last 10

The Mariners entered their last series on a 2 game losing streak and lost their 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 2-1. They enter this game with a 65-55 record overall and have a road record of 31-27. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Astros on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Kansas City Royals still to be played on Thursday. They also lost the series opener of that series on Monday but won the 2nd game and the 3rd game on Tuesday and Wednesday. Their offense ranks 17th in the MLB with a .721 OPS. George Kirby is their starting pitcher on Thursday while rookie pitcher Bryce Miller is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 2 Ks on 5 hits through 5.2 IP against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Astros are entering this series on a 2 game winning streak and won their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 70-52 record overall and have a home record of 33-26. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Mariners on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .744 OPS. Justin Verlander was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while rookie pitcher J.P. France is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 9-3 with a 2.74 ERA this season. His team won their last 8 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 BB with 5 strikeouts on 4 hits through 7 innings played against the Los Angeles Angels.

The current betting odds have the Astros listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros have been rolling in their games lately as their offense has been getting a lot better over the last few weeks and they seem to be on a mission to take back the AL West from the leading Texas Rangers. The Mariners have also been playing really well since the trade deadline as they have gone on a bit of a surge and now find themselves right outside the Wild Card spots. The Mariners offense hasn't been as good as the Astros offense though, especially when the Mariners have been struggling all season while the Astros have been getting really hot lately and have been putting up a lot more runs. The Astros also have the advantage with their pitching staff as it has been a lot better throughout the year and will come into play here as it will give the Astros and their offense the edge they need to win this game. The Astros have France starting in this game and he has been lights out all season, not giving up many runs in his starts. Miller is up for the Mariners here and he has also been really good in his rookie season so the bullpen will definitely come into play here which the Astros have the edge with and their offense will be able to put up the runs they need in this game to beat the Mariners at home here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game.

Mariners Astros Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 18, 2023 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Astros 3 Mariners 2.

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Seattle Mariners: 19-11 (+6.4 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 24-17 (+6.9 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8.5 to 10. 12-6 UNDER when the total is 9 to 9.5. BRYCE MILLER is 6-2 UNDER when the total is 8.5 to 10.

Houston Astros: 21-28 (-13.6 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 3-11 (-10.8 units) on the moneyline after a win by 6 runs or more. 11-3 UNDER when playing with a day off. 21-13 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive wins.

Seattle Mariners:  T. Murphy (C) Out indefinitely - Thumb. M. Gonzales (SP) out for season - Elbow. J. Crawford (SS) Out indefinitely - Concussion. E. White (1B) Late Aug - Thigh. B. Woo (SP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. J. Kelenic (CF) Early Sept - Foot. P. Murfee (SP) out for season - Elbow. R. Ray (SP) out for season - Forearm. E. McGee (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Houston Astros:  P. Maton (RP) Late Aug - Elbow. J. Abreu (1B) Out indefinitely - Back. M. Brantley (DH) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) out for season - Elbow. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow.

“Obviously Julio had a huge night for us. Probably the most impressive thing he did for us was take the (single) into right field in the ninth inning. We needed all the insurance runs we could get. That proved to be the winning run in the ballgame.” - Scott Servais after his team’s win against the Royals in their game on Wednesday.

“The game got a little hairy there for a minute. We had a couple of crooked numbers, which was great.” - Dusty Baker after his team’s win against the Marlins in their game on Wednesday.

Julio Rodriguez (R) CF

Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B

Ty France (R) 1B

Teoscar Hernandez (R) RF

Cal Raleigh (S) C

Cade Marlowe (L) LF

Dominic Canzone (L) DH

Jose Caballero (R) SS

Josh Rojas (L) 2B

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Chas McCormick (R) LF

Jon Singleton (L) 1B

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Mauricio Dubon (R) CF

Martin Maldonado (R) C

Batting Average:  Tom Murphy (.290)

Hits:  Julio Rodriguez (129)

Home Runs:  Cal Raleigh (21)

RBI:  Eugenio Suarez (75)

Stolen Bases:  Julio Rodriguez (30)

Wins:  George Kirby (10)

Saves:  Andres Munoz (6)

ERA:  Easton McGee (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jose Altuve (.320)

Hits:  Kyle Tucker (131)

Home Runs:  Kyle Tucker (24)

RBI:  Kyle Tucker (92)

Stolen Bases:  Kyle Tucker (24)

Wins:  Framber Valdez (9)

Saves:  Ryan Pressly (28)

ERA:  Hector Neris (1.81)

Managers:

Seattle Mariners: Scott Servais (8th season)

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)