It’s the start of a new series in Seattle between two of the best teams in the American League as the Mariners take on the Baltimore Orioles.
Let's get into our picks and predictions for Tuesday night's game, with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 PM ET / 6:40 PM PT.
The Baltimore Orioles just wrapped up a series win over the Rangers this past weekend while the Mariners lost a series to the Twins at home.
After a much-needed day off on Monday, these two teams are back at it with two of their top pitchers on the mound.
Grayson Rodriguez will get the start for the Orioles and George Kirby will counter him for the home team. Rodriguez had a decent last few weeks on the mound as he posted a 4.02 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in five starts in June.
He faced some tough opponents in that span, including the Astros, Phillies, and Guardians. Tuesday’s start takes him across the country to Seattle, but this isn’t his first time facing the Mariners in 2024. Back in early May, Rodriguez threw a one-hitter in six innings against Seattle.
Kirby has become a staple of the Mariners rotation. The young right-hander might have the best control in all of baseball and has improved his swing-and-miss stuff this season.
However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been touched up. One of his worst starts of the season came in Baltimore as he allowed five runs, nine hits, and two home runs in six innings. The Orioles lineup pounced on Kirby’s fastball so that they wouldn’t need to see his slider or splitter later in the count. Expect the O’s to have the same approach in this game, so back the visitors to get the win at near-even odds.
This series opener has the lowest game total of any matchup on the slate. Between Rodriguez and Kirby, oddsmakers aren’t anticipating a lot of success at the plate from either team.
That’s the thinking that I had too since both of these rising stars have looked solid recently. Rodriguez limited hitters to just a .246 batting average with a 35% hard-hit rate last month against some of the best lineups in the game.
Plus, he has an above-average bullpen behind that is rested after Monday’s off day. As long as Rodriguez can complete five of six innings, he puts the bullpen in a great position to keep the Mariners off the board in the second half of the game.
Kirby had an up-and-down first two months of the season, but he’s looked much better recently. He posted a 1.74 ERA in June and allowed just two home runs and three walks in that span. His most recent start was against the Rays in Tampa Bay, and he surrendered just one run and four hits in six innings of work.
Kirby is a workhouse that has completed at least six innings in eight of his last nine starts. His ability to mix in his offspeed pitches at any point in the count separates him from the pack, and that should keep the Orioles somewhat limited in the first half of the game. I’m expecting only a handful of runs in this game with my predicted score to be 3-1 in favor of Baltimore.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the MLB on site.
Baltimore Orioles | -110 ML |
Seattle Mariners | -110 ML |
Run Line | Orioles -1.5 (+155) |
Total | O/U 7 |
Adley Rutschman (BAL Orioles) | +520 |
Gunnar Henderson (BAL Orioles) | +420 |
Anthony Santander (BAL Orioles) | +420 |
Julio Rodriguez (SEA Mariners) | +600 |
Cal Raleigh (SEA Mariners) | +440 |
Mitch Garver (SEA Mariners) | +560 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.