Chris Boline
The Wild Card Weekend for Major League Baseball was one to remember, with several teams putting on a clinic in terms of getting things done under pressure. This includes the Seattle Mariners, who upset the Toronto Blue Jays north of the border. Now, they’ve set up a dance with Houston. In this article, we have MLB picks for the Mariners vs. Astros AL Divisions Series, which should be one to remember. Which team will come out on top and move on to the next round of the playoffs?
Astros are big favorites going up against the Mariners
As you might have been able to guess, the Astros are big favorites going up against the Mariners for their upcoming AL Division Series. These two teams are quite familiar with one another, as they are AL West rivals. Having said that, Houston has owned Seattle in the past and they’re hoping to do so once again, this time in the playoffs. These two clubs have never met in the postseason before. In the regular season, things were pretty even, but Houston no question has more talent on their side.
The winner of this one will go on to take on the winner of the Yankees-Guardians series in the ALCS. Starting off with the Mariners, this club has a ton of confidence right now. In Game 2 against the Blue Jays on Saturday night, they were down 8-1 at one point, but came all the way back to record an improbable 10-9 victory. Ty France, Julio Rodriguez, Eugenio Suarez and others came up huge for the club. Now, people all over the Pacific Northwest are as excited as ever for this team.
| MLB ALDS odds |  |  |  |  |
| Astros to win | -220 | -220 | -220 | -220 |
| Mariners to win | +195 | +195 | +195 | +195 |
| Over 4 games | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 4 games | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
As for the Astros, the AL West champs are hoping to get back to the World Series this year, and they’ve got plenty of confidence right now. Justin Verlander is all set to start Game 1 of the series vs. Houston. Verlander has had his way with the Mariners in the past, as the star hurler has been nothing short of dominant. Seattle could be in for a long game if Verlander catches fire like he normally does. Seattle’s bats have been inconsistent at times, which could haunt them going up against the Astros.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, Houston holds -220 MLB betting odds to beat Seattle in this series and move on to the ALCS. The Mariners have been a really fun story this year making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2001. However, all good things must come to an end and we think that will be the case for them going up against Houston. We’re going with the Astros as our pick to win this series. A lot of folks think another upset could come, but we don’t see it going down.
Houston remains the top dog in the AL to get back to the World Series
What’s only going to help the Astros from a confidence standpoint is that Houston remains the top dog in the AL to get back to the World Series this fall. Earlier this year, the Yankees figured to be well on their way to win the American League pennant this campaign, but they’ve had their fair share of struggles late in the year. That hasn’t be the case for Dusty Baker and the Astros, as they look brilliant. People all over the globe are talking about the Astros and rightfully so. They’re looking sharp.
Whenever this ball club needs someone to deliver, someone like Jose Altuve, Jordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Verlander and more are ready to get the job done. For years now, Houston has been one of the best teams in all of baseball and that’s once again the case in 2022. Because the Astros have been playing so well, fans in the area sure are dreaming of this club recording another World Series triumph. Time and time again, people try to doubt this team and they make them look foolish.
We've got our city behind us.
Houston, it's #postseason time. pic.twitter.com/MluwxIzp8T
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 10, 2022
That won’t be easy, as not only are the Mariners, Yankees and Guardians trying to get in their way in the AL, but teams like the Dodgers, Padres, Phillies and Braves are still in the hunt as well. Atlanta is currently one of the hottest teams in the bigs. They stunned the Mets late in the year to overtake first place in the NL East and grab the division title. They won it all last year and Atlanta will be ready to surprise even more people in the coming weeks.
Per the odds makers, Houston holds +450 World Series betting odds, which indeed is No. 1 for the American League. From our chair, we think it’s going to be tough for anyone in the AL to get in their way. We expect Houston to take down Seattle and then either New York or Cleveland in the ALCS. In the World Series, we could see them taking on either the Dodgers or Braves. That will be a series to remember and things could go either way there. Keep your eyes on Houston, folks.
