Mariners vs. Athletics MLB Preview and Best Bet

Halfway through their four-game series, fortunes have changed for both the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners. The A’s entered the American League West showdown up two games and riding a five-game winning streak, while the Mariners had lost three of their last four series. Seattle beat the Athletics in two straight, however to catch Oakland in the standings.

Let's see their MLB odds.

Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics

Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 9:40 PM ET at Oakland Coliseum

Halfway through their four-game series, fortunes have changed for both the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners. The A’s entered the American League West showdown up two games on the Mariners, on the doorstep of competing for a playoff berth and riding a five-game winning streak.

The Mariners, meanwhile, had just gotten back on the winning side of things after dropping three series in a row.

Two games in, Seattle is the team that has managed to keep the winning going. The Mariners won both games, beating the A’s in the Oakland Coliseum to catch them in the standings. Both teams are now three games behind the three AL East teams battling for two Wild Card spots.

Seattle will attempt to win the series and pass the Athletics in Wednesday’s third game of the early-week clash, while Oakland will try to maintain its position and make a move in the home stretch of the season.

https://youtu.be/4Rl3tHQNO2U

Here Comes Seattle

The Mariners have held the A’s to two runs in each of the first two games in the series, on the heels of holding Kansas City to one in the rubber game of last weekend’s series. This came, after the Mariners had allowed opponents to score eight or more in three of the previous four games. They had allowed an average of 5.8 runs a game over a 14-game stretch that ended Saturday.

The Mariners have now won seven straight over Oakland and held the A’s to four or fewer runs in their last eight clashes. The latest win clinched a record over .500 for Seattle for the season, just the second time in five years the Mariners have accomplished that.

Still, Seattle has its eyes set on the playoffs, and that is still three games away with 11 to play.

“We came in here really thinking we needed to win this series (and) believed it,” manager Scott Servais said. “We get the first two, we’re in a good spot. Unfortunately, didn’t pick up a whole lot of ground. We need help.”

Seattle starts Chris Flexen on Wednesday looking to wrap up a series win. He’s 12-6, 3.66 on the season and is 6-1 in road games, although his ERA is 4.32 away from Seattle.

Cole Irvin #19 of the Oakland Athletics on September 5, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mark Blinch/Getty Images/AFP

Scrambling for Momentum

After scoring 50 runs in seven games, the A’s are struggling to find offense. They’ve scored three or fewer in the last four. The pitching also needs some help. After allowing a total of nine runs in the last four games of their winning streak, they’ve allowed that many in two games against the Mariners.

Oakland made a move to shore up the pitching, claiming Michael Feliz from the Red Sox. He joined the team Tuesday but has yet to appear in a game. When he does, Oakland will be the fourth team he’s pitched for in 2021. He has an ERA of 7.32 and has allowed 31 baserunners in 19.2 innings. So it’s questionable how much he’ll help the A’s bullpen.

The A’s still have a mathematical chance to make the postseason, but time is running out.

“It goes without saying that it’s time to go,” Matt Olson said after hitting his career-high 37th home run of the season. “Three games out, 11 games to go, really not a whole lot to lose. We have to go out there and loosen up and play our game and see what happens at the end.”

Oakland starts Cole Irvin, who is 10-13, 3.94 on the year. He’s started against the Mariners three times this year and lost them all, never making it out of the fifth inning.

The Pick

Seattle has put the A’s away in the first two games and seems to have a significant edge in the mound matchup. Other than the fact that it’s a road game, everything is pointing toward the Mariners, making Seattle a bargain as the underdog for our MLB picks.

MLB Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.