Stay on top of the latest MLB news and betting notes<\/a> from Vegas!<\/em><\/p>\n The Seattle Mariners visit RingCentral Coliseum to play the Oakland Athletics in the second of a three-game series. Tonight it’s a battle of right-handers – and a good pitching matchup – with rookie George Kirby getting the start against Paul Blackburn.<\/p>\n In his first eight starts, George Kirby has pitched very well for Seattle with a 3.56 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 41 strikeouts and five walks. Like a lot of young pitchers, he’s had a problem with home runs, giving up eight long flies for the year and five in his last three starts.<\/p>\n Hitting has been OK for the Mariners as they are No. 21 in OPS (.689) with a team batting average of .232. The pitching has been middle-of-the-road with a 16th-best team ERA of 3.90 and a WHIP of 1.23.<\/p>\n The M’s are 16th in OPS against right-handed pitching at .700 with a .239 team batting average. But they haven’t hit well this past week, as they scored two runs or less in six of their last eight games.<\/p>\n In what’s been a challenging season for Oakland, Paul Blackburn has been a bright spot. In 13 starts and 71 innings, he’s put up a 2.26 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP with 51 strikeouts. The A’s righty has also given up just 17 walks and three home runs. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff or a lot of strikeouts, but has done a great job of avoiding hard contact. And Blackburn has a very good chance to make the AL All-Star team with this kind of performance.<\/p>\n The Athletics’ hitting – to paraphrase Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) from the movie Caddyshack – they’re…. they’re not good. In fact, they’re awful with an MLB worst .604 OPS. And there’s not much home run power either, with a second-to-last long fly number of 48.<\/p>\n With the Mariners’ recent slump at the plate, an A’s team that doesn’t hit well at all, plus two good starting pitchers – well, it’s easy to see where I’m headed. I don’t have a strong pick or lean for either side, and neither bullpen is particularly good.<\/p>\n And while we shouldn’t see much offense late in games with these teams, I’ll repeat my words of wisdom on relief pitching: Bullpens are like overly ripe fruit, and you never know when they’ll go bad.<\/p>\n This isn’t a game I’m real excited about, but with these two pitchers and anemic lineups, I’ll lean to the first five innings staying under the total.<\/p>\n Prediction: First Five Innings Under<\/p>\n Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. The NL Central has the makings of a two-team race all the way to September. Who will emerge from this week’s series between the Cardinals and Brewers? Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET \/ 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n Wednesday, June 22<\/th>\n MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Moneyline:<\/td>\n Seattle Mariners -125 at Oakland A’s +115<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Runline:<\/td>\n Mariners -1.5 (+145) \/ A’s +1.5 (-165)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Total:<\/td>\n 7.5 Runs (Over EV \/ Under -120)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Game Time:<\/td>\n 9:40pm ET \/ 6:40pm PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Where:<\/td>\n RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Weather:<\/td>\n 78* and Clear with Light Winds Blowing Left-to-Right<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Oakland A’s vs Seattle Mariners Analysis<\/h2>\n
Keep the Ball in the Yard<\/h3>\n
The Shining Star<\/h3>\n
Oakland A’s vs Seattle Mariners Prediction<\/h2>\n
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Wednesday, June 22<\/h3>\n
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