MLB Baseball Series Preview: Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers

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MLB Baseball Series Preview: Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers

Two of the hotter teams in baseball face off in a series that starts on Thursday when the Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers gets started. The series will be played in Motown and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

The latest MLB Baseball Odds have the Tigers listed as favorites to win this series, but that is fueled by the pitching advantage the Tigers have in this series.

In game one the Mariners will send Doug Fister to the hill up against the ace of the Tiger’s staff in Justin Verlander.

Fister hung tough in his last outing, a hard-luck loss to the Rays on June 4. Fister went seven innings, giving up three runs, but he was outdueled by Tampa Bay rookie Jeremy Hellickson.

The last time Verlander faced the Mariners was also the last time he lost a start. Since giving up four runs in six innings of a 10-1 loss on April 27, Verlander is 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA over his last seven starts. In game two it will be two veterans that will take to the mound. The Mariners will start lefty Erik Bedard and he will take on Brad Penny, who will make a start for the home team.

Penny has given up 24 hits over 16 2/3 innings in his last three starts since throwing eight scoreless innings against the Royals May 14. He lost to the Mariners April 28 at Comerica Park with seven innings of four-hit ball.

Bedard continued to prove he's healthy in 2011 in his last start, throwing a season-high 111 pitches and giving up three runs over seven innings in a no-decision.

In the third game young superstar Michael Pineda will go up against Max Scherzer in what could turn out to be a vital game in the series. Matchups for game four have yet to be announced, but the expectations are that Felix Hernandez will get the call to start for the Mariners.

The head-to-head trends for this series favor the visiting team. The Mariners are 4-1 in the last five meetings and 4-0 in the last four meetings in Detroit. The Tigers are 1-5 in Verlanders last six starts against the Mariners and that could be a bad sign for the Tigers.

The Tigers have the edge in pitching in game one, but Verlander’s history indicates that the Mainers have a shot to win that game. If they pull off the upset in game one the pitching advantage would then shift in favor of the visiting Mariners.

The Mariners are 20-8 in their last 28 games against a right-handed starter and 14-6 in their last 20 overall.

The Mariners are starting to play excellent baseball but there are still plenty questions surrounding their ability to score some runs. If they can hit the Tiger pitching and put up some runs on this road trip it could be the difference between being a contender and fading away in the race for the pennant in the American league. The Mariners show that they are for real as they take the series on the road from the Tigers.

MLB Series Betting Picks: Seattle Mariners