Seattle Mariners vs. Minnesota Twins Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 4/7/2022

Game time: 4:10 p.m. ET

Venue: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN

Where to watch: ROOTNW, Bally Sports North

DraftKings: Even

BetMGM: Even

Caesars: Even

Mariners: 90-72 (2nd place, AL West)

Twins: 73-89 (Last place, AL Central)

There is nothing like watching the Seattle Mariners captivate the hearts and minds of baseball fans everywhere. You watch the way that group came within a game of making the playoffs last season, hanging on every single hit and clutch moment last season.

I wanted so bad to see them get to the playoffs and make some serious noise, but it’s not their time. Now? It might be. And the Mariners will try to take that next step in the American League West when they open their season Thursday against the Minnesota Twins in Target Field.

But if you thought the Mariners were just here to play ball and have fun, you clearly didn’t watch last year. The group of Kyle Seager, Mitch Haniger and Ty France provided one of the more exciting offensive units in baseball last season. On top of that, the top of the rotation with Chris Flexen and Marco Gonzales were as steady as they could possibly be. The ERAs might have been a tad high, but they got wins.

And then they go out and get reigning AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to bolster that rotation. But wait, there’s more.

And now the Mariners went out and got Jesse Winker in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds this offseason coming off a .305 season with 24 homers. Oh, you’re not impressed with having that guy in your lineup?

J-Rod. That’s all.

Julio Rodriguez, the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, made Seattle’s opening day roster. The 21-year-oid batted .419 during spring training and he now joins the lineup with those four names already in place. And he wants to hit 37 home runs as a rookie. This kid can already hit 400-foot bombs with exit velocity of 110 miles per hour. It can get wild.

And what does J-Rod want to do? Do what A-Rod did, once upon a time.

“A-Rod was the last one to break baseball,” Julio explained. “He was so young, and right away, he made pitchers have to change [how they pitched to him]. Everyone was paying attention to him because he was the best player on the field -- he was a show. That’s what I love about him, he was his own brand in baseball, and that’s what I want to be.”

Rodriguez is becoming the ultimate package. He hits for ridiculous power, has crazy speed and the range in the outfield is absurd. Seattle has needed a savior since prime Ichiro. It’s happening starting on Thursday and it’s going to be awesome.

Seattle takes on a Minnesota team that’s entrenched in a rebuild right now. Gone are Mitch Garver and Josh Donaldson, and left is Miguel Sano.

Oh, and that Carlos Correa guy, too.

Correa is now in Minnesota after spending the first bit of his career with the Houston Astros, winning a championship and coming within games of two more. But seeing him move to Minnesota to play with Byron Buxton and put together a top of the order that has a lot of talent is going to be something to watch.

"It was not long ago that I was playing for an organization that was last in the big leagues the year before I got there," Correa said after his signing. "I know what it takes to build a championship culture within the clubhouse. ... I see that here with the talent that we have, and I see that we can get so much better in order for us to accomplish that goal to ultimately win a championship."

The pitching comes down to 25-year-old Joe Ryan and if he’s ready for the big leagues. No doubt he can, but the pitching staff is the one question mark on this Minnesota team. If Ryan can turn into that guy and put some stability into the rotation, the Twins could surprise some people in the American League Central.

That being said, we all need to get on board for the J-Rod show. It’s going to be awesome to watch him play and as a Rangers fan, I’m going to be terrified with how the next 10 years go. But the excitement around the Mariners hasn’t been there in so long. Watch this team take advantage of that and turn the AL West into a fun playground. Mariners win 7-2

The Mariners are 28-16 (+8 units on money line) when the money line is between -100 and -150 in the last three years.

The Mariners are 55-56 (+22.9 net games on money line) on the road the last three seasons.

The Twins are 29-43 (-24 net games) against left-handed starters the last three seasons.

Mariners:
Adam Frazier (L) 2B
Ty France (R) 1B
Jesse Winker (L) LF
Mitch Haniger (R) DH
Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
Jarred Kelenic (L) RF
Julio Rodriguez (R) CF
J.P. Crawford (L) SS
Cal Raleigh (S) C

Twins:
Byron Buxton (R) CF
Jorge Polanco (S) 2B
Carlos Correa (R) SS
Luis Arraez (L) 3B
Max Kepler (L) RF
Miguel Sano (R) 1B
Alex Kirilloff (L) LF
Gio Urshela (R) DH
Ryan Jeffers (R) C

Batting average: Ty France -- .291

Hits: J.P. Crawford -- 169

Home runs: Mitch Haniger -- 39

RBI: Kyle Seager -- 101

Wins: Chris Flexen -- 14

Saves: Drew Steckenrider -- 14

ERA: Chris Flexen -- 3.61

Batting average: Jorge Polanco -- .269

Hits: Jorge Polanco -- 158

Home runs: Jorge Polanco -- 33

RBI: Jorge Polanco -- 98

Wins: Michael Pineda -- 9

Saves: Alex Colome -- 17

ERA: N/A