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• Seattle Mariners vs. Kansas City Royals
• Friday, August 25 at 7pm ET
• Kauffman Stadiun in Kansas City, Missouri
How about the Seattle Mariners? The Mariners are the hottest team in baseball right now. As of this writing, the Mariners are 15-4 for the month of August, currently on a seven-game winning streak. Just like that, Seattle not only has a Wild Card spot to their name, but they’re also in the hunt to win the AL West. This weekend, Seattle will look to make a statement in Kansas City. With that said, the Mariners are favored to beat the Royals in Friday’s series opener, which is no surprise.
While the Mariners have been red hot, the opposite can be said about Kansas City. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the AL Central side, the wheels have fallen off for them. Right now, the Royals are 40-87 on the season and they’re easily one of the worst teams in the major leagues. This is disappointing for the fans, as they were hoping to see the young talent on the roster step up. So far in 2023, they haven’t done so.
| Mariners vs. Royals odds |  |  |  |  |
| Mariners to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Royals to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
The Mariners on the other hand have been nothing short of brilliant this month. The AL West club is 70-55 on the year and easily playing their best baseball yet. The offense has really looked sharp in August, highlighted by the series sweep at Minute Maid Park against the Houston Astros. That sweep sent a major statement not only to the rest of the division, but the entire American League as well.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Mariners hold -115 MLB betting odds to post a win in this one. The Royals, the home team, have been listed at +125. With the way they’ve looked in August, it’s hard for us to imagine the Mariners losing to a struggling team like Kansas City. With that said, we’re 100 percent going with Seattle as our pick for this battle.
Lucky number 7 #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/eHVPTy6KsB
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 22, 2023
The over should hit in Friday’s matchup
With the way Seattle has been swinging the bats, the over should hit in Friday’s matchup. We’ve got off by showing some major love to Julio Rodriguez. What he’s been able to do at the plate in recent weeks has been out of this world. For the month of August, J-Rod is hitting .412, with four homers and 22 RBI. In the last week, he’s hitting .594, which included his nine hits in the sweep over Houston.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” manager Scott Servais said in a recent interview on the brilliant play of his center fielder. “Nobody in the history of Major League Baseball has seen anything like it. But what can you say? Julio is just smoking hot right now.”
JULIOOOOO! 🚀@JRODshow44's 5th hit of the game is a MOONSHOT to put the @Mariners ahead!
📺 MLB Network + Corona Premier / @CoronaUSA pic.twitter.com/NSa5LRSMKN
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 17, 2023
That quote from Servais is great to see, as even he has been blown away by the incredible play of the reigning AL Rookie of the Year. Rodriguez isn’t the only one to look great for this team, as Cal Raleigh, Luis Castillo and others are stepping up to the plate for the Mariners. While it’s up in the air who will be starting on the mound for both sides in this one, we have no doubt in our mind that plenty of runs will be scored.
Per the oddsmakers, the over/under has been set at 6.5 runs. In a Monday night win over the Chicago White Sox, the Mariners scored an epic 14 runs in a win. Seriously, 14 runs? This just goes to show that this squad is on another level right now and more of the same should be showcased against a struggling Kansas City organization. Because of this, we’re definitely going with the over here.
The Mariners are now in the hunt to win the AL West
What a difference three weeks can make, as the Mariners are now in the hunt to win the AL West. At the end of July, just about no one thought that this squad would have a chance to push for a division title. Not only that, but there was serious doubt that the Mariners would be in contention for a Wild Card position too. However, that all has changed thanks to their brilliant run in August.
The Mariners haven’t won the division since 2001, but that all could change if they keep playing so well. The Mariners are only two games back of the Texas Rangers. Texas has been exceptional this year, which has come as a huge surprise. With that said, the Astros and Mariners are right behind them in the standings. With more than a month left in the regular season, you never know how things might end up to close out the campaign.
Thanks to how good they’ve been, the Mariners now hold +350 odds to win the AL West. There are much better MLB betting odds than they had not long ago. Servais has strong belief in his guys and the Seattle supporters are dreaming of a title too. Things could end up being massive for the Mariners once the playoffs get here, as they very well could enter the postseason as AL West champs.
