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• Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers
• Friday, July 14 at 10:10 PM ET
• T-Mobile Park in Seattle
Despite the first half of the season not going according to plan for the Seattle Mariners, things were able to end on the right foot right before the MLB All-Star break. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, there are high hopes for the AL West side, as they’re hoping to get back to the postseason. Seattle has a great chance to set the tone for the rest of the campaign this weekend with a big series in Detroit. With that, the Mariners will hope to take down the Tigers in a Friday night showdown.
There’s a three-game series on the way between the two American League teams and the Mariners will hope to post another series win here. Luckily for Seattle, they will enter things with a ton of confidence. Right before the All-Star Break, the Mariners were able to win two of three games against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. That’s not easy to do, but the Seattle offense exploded.
| Mariners vs. Tigers odds |  |  |  |  |
| Mariners to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Tigers to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
While the two teams are yet to reveal which pitchers they’ll be starting for the Friday night tilt, Seattle will be a slight favorite because they’re the home team. However, that doesn’t mean that the Seattle bats won’t be ready to make some noise even if they’re favored. Obviously, plenty of eyes will be on Julio Rodriguez and Ty France, but you can’t forget about JP Crawford, Cal Raleigh and others.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Mariners hold -115 MLB betting odds to post a victory against the Tigers on Friday. Detroit currently holds +125 odds to post the upset. It’s not going to be easy for the M’s to take down Detroit, but the way their offense has been playing, it feels like they’ve got a great chance to make something happen. With that said, we’re going with the Mariners as our pick.
"Everything I do, I do for you guys."@JRODshow44 | #HRDerby pic.twitter.com/Je45KjZ0jh
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 11, 2023
The over should hit in the Mariners vs. Tigers matchup
When taking a look at the two offenses, the over should hit in the Mariners vs. Tigers matchup. Both these lineups are loaded with star talent, with Rodriguez leading the way for the Mariners. J-Rod put on a show in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, hitting 41 home runs in the first round. That set a new record and it had the fans at T-Mobile Park fired up over what he was able to do.
Unfortunately, Rodriguez wasn’t able to make his way to the final, as he lost to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the semifinals. Vlad Jr. ended up winning the title, but still, it left a lot of people in Seattle quite disappointed. Despite that, people are hoping that the strong performance from Rodriguez will help him post a huge second half of the season. He’s got fantastic power, no one can deny that.
JULIO RODRIGUEZ PUT ON A SHOW 🤩
41 home runs in the first round 🚀 pic.twitter.com/JrI4Ajag0p
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2023
“It definitely felt really exciting,’’ Rodriguez said of his experience at the 2023 Home Run Derby. “The whole crowd was in it. My whole goal, once I stepped on the field, was to give a show to the crowd. Just give them something they would enjoy. I hope they enjoyed my performance out there.”
It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see J-Rod hit a home run or two during this series vs. the Tigers. If he were to go yard on Friday, it’ll only help Seattle’s chances of posting a victory. With the over/under set at 6.5 runs, it would be a stunner if these two teams didn’t combine for at least seven runs. With -110 MLB betting odds of that number being reached, we’re definitely going with the over as our pick.
Seattle still has a great chance of making the postseason
As we mentioned above, the start of the year hasn’t gone according to plan for the Mariners, but Seattle still has a great chance of making the postseason. Entering their showdown with the Tigers, the Mariners hold a 45-44 record. People were hopeful that they’d be a bit better in the AL West standings, but hey, it’s not too late to make a run.
We’re not expecting Seattle to make a push for the division title, but a trip to the playoffs via an AL Wild Card spot is still up for grabs. That’s how the Mariners were able to sneak into the postseason for the first time in more than 20 years last season. Manager Scott Servais knows his guys will have what it takes to go on a strong run to end the season.
This team needs to stay healthy and guys like Luis Castillo need to step up. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on Castillo to deliver as the ace, while the youngsters in the rotation and the bullpen will need to deliver too. Seattle is in a strong spot now to push for the playoffs. They hold +225 odds to get back in once the fall rolls around. We’ll see how things go down for them.
