The Seattle Mariners are set to face off against the New York Yankees in a highly anticipated MLB matchup on Wednesday evening.
The Mariners are reeling from a five-game losing streak, during which they have scored a total of five runs. They are last in the majors in runs with a paltry 463, and have recorded more than two runs just once in their last seven outings. In contrast, the Yankees have been inconsistent, exceeding three runs only twice in their past six outings.
The Mariners' anemic offense has been a major contributor to their struggles, and it remains to be seen whether they can find a way to break out against the Yankees' pitching. The two teams will face off at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium, with the Yankees looking to extend their three-game winning streak.
The Yankees are currently three games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the top AL Wild Card berth, and a win would give them a crucial boost in their pursuit of a playoff spot. The Mariners, on the other hand, are four games behind the Texas Rangers for the third American League wild card and 4.5 back of the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs are looking to keep rolling and expand their lead in the NL Wild Card standings when they visit the Washington Nationals at 6:45 p.m. ET. The Cubs, who are 6.5 games in front of three teams in the NL Wild Card race, topped Washington 8-5 in the opener for their seventh win in eight outings.
The Cubs have been a dominant force in the NL, and their ability to score runs has been a key factor in their success. They are currently tied with the Nationals for the top two scoring teams in the majors, and will be facing left-hander Jackson Kent, who will be making his major-league debut.
The White Sox are attempting to even their three-game set with the Cincinnati Reds when the teams square off at 7:40 p.m. ET at Guaranteed Rate Field. The White Sox lost the opener 5-4 in 10 innings and saw their lead over the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central shrink to 2.5 games, while the Reds climbed within 5.5 games of an NL Wild Card berth.
The Chicago Cubs are -160 favorites over the Nationals, while the White Sox are -142 to win against the Reds. The SportsLine Projection Model has taken all of this into account, and its simulations have the Over hitting 60% of the time in the Cubs-Nationals matchup.
The Mariners are +1.5 underdogs against the Yankees, with the SportsLine Projection Model seeing another close one as its spread betting pick sees the Mariners cover the run line in 71% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Matt Snyder is backing New York to hand Seattle its sixth straight defeat, however, as the Mariners have won just five of their last 19 contests.
The series opener was a pitchers' duel as a total of two runs were scored in the contest. But the Marlins produced 12 and seven runs against the Los Angeles Angels in their previous two outings, while each of the Pirates' previous three games had at least nine total runs scored.
Source: CBS