The Mariners are on a roll having won 5 in a row to push over .500 and within a half game of the Angels in the AL West. \u00a0Those 5 are all against teams with winning records and it looks like this Seattle team might be in the playoff hunt, taking advantage of the fact that Texas is unlikely to be a sustained competitor. <\/p>\n
Seattle Mariners (31-28) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (23-37)<\/strong>
\n Friday June 6<\/strong>
\n Tropicana Field – Tampa, FL<\/strong>
\n 7:10PM<\/strong>
\n Probable Pitchers:<\/strong>
\n SEA: \u00a0Chris Young (R)<\/strong>
\n TB: \u00a0Erik Bedard (L)<\/strong>
\n Moneyline: \u00a0Tampa +139, Seattle +129<\/strong>
\n Total: \u00a0\u00a07.5<\/strong>
\n [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/strong><\/p>\nATS Matchup Insight<\/a> | CP Insider Gambling Preview<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Seattle<\/h3>\n
The offense is still looking for anybody other than Robinson Cano to be a consistent threat. Kyle Seager has come alive over the past week which is encouraging. Plus Canadian Michael Saunders had an electric May.<\/p>\n
\nCheck out our in-house Handicapper!!! Click here to Buy Razor Ray’s MLB Baseball Picks Today!<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Chris Young has been a nice success story this season but he is playing with fire.<\/p>\n
He is giving up too many homers and walking too many guys so if his hits per inning ticks up at all he could be giving up a lot more runs, even in Seattle.<\/p>\n
He is also showing dramatic home road splits so even though Tampa has a pretty light lineup he might be one to avoid on the road where he is walking more batters than he is punching out.
\n[dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p>\nTampa Bay<\/h3>\n
Losing all four games of their home and home with the Marlins has pushed the Rays losing streak to a surprising 10 games. They are not playing good baseball so that is not a surprise but it is surprising how lifeless this team looks.<\/p>\n
They are actually looking up in the AL standings at Houston and only the Cubs have fewer wins. Other than the fact that they are supposed to be better there is not much hope for a turnaround this year. They are just bad at the plate and on the mound<\/p>\n
Things have not gone according to plan for the Rays this season but where would they be without lefty Erik Bedard. Most of the time he is giving the team a chance to win and he should be able to have success against a Seattle lineup whose best hitter is lefthanded.<\/p>\n
This year he is doing a much better job keeping the ball in the yard and the Mariners are not the Blue Jays so a bounce back from some tough outings is not out of the realm of possibility<\/p>\n
I am surprised that Tampa is still a significant favourite in this one given their current struggles and the fact that it is Bedard on the mound not David Price. Seattle is playing well and they make a nice value underdog. I would have made this one a pick and that kind of value is just too hard to ignore.<\/p>\n