AL West Rivalry
Two AL West teams meet in Los Angeles as the Mariners take on the Angels. Los Angeles is currently -147 on the money line and thus far, 58% of the betting public favors the Halos.
The Seattle Mariners’ Jarrod Washburn is considered a fairly average left-hander, except to probably Torii Hunter.
Washburn gets another start against his former team for the Mariners as he tries to continue his mastery of one of the newest Los Angeles Angels in Hunter when the AL West rivals continue their three-game set Saturday.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Los Angeles -147 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 58% of bets for this game have been placed on Los Angeles –147 (View MLB Bet Percentages). Bet this game.
Washburn (1-2, 3.50 ERA) signed with Seattle (9-9) as a free agent before the 2006 season after spending eight seasons with the Angels. He is 4-2 with a 4.26 ERA in seven career starts against them, including 2-1 with a 3.70 ERA in four outings at Anaheim.
The left-hander has enjoyed plenty of success against Hunter, limiting the Angels’ center fielder to six hits in 34 at-bats for a .176 average. No other active southpaw in the AL has enjoyed greater success against Hunter with a minimum of 20 plate appearances.
Washburn was victimized by poor run support in his last start as he allowed three runs over six innings in a 5-1 loss to Kansas City on Monday. He has yielded three runs or less in all three starts.
Hunter shrugged off some stiffness in his neck and back from a pregame fender-bender to turn in his best game as an Angel in a 5-4 win on Friday. He doubled three times, drove in three runs and hauled in Richie Sexson’s bid for a go-ahead two-run homer with a leaping catch above the center-field wall for the game’s final out.
"That was sweet, man," Hunter said. "You can’t beat taking a home run away. That probably could have been the game-winner, so I’m pretty excited about that – winning the game with my glove. Things started off pretty rough today and it was pretty frustrating, so I went out there and tried to take it out on them in the game."
The Angels and Mariners have split their first four games, with the team scoring first winning each one. Los Angeles got off to the quick start Friday on Hunter’s three-run double in the first inning.
Another key to the win was Raul Ibanez’s quiet 1-for-4 night. Ibanez went 7-for-13 with three homers and nine RBIs last weekend as Seattle took two of three at home from Los Angeles.
Ibanez is batting .368 (14-for-38) in 10 road games.
"His all-around game has been outstanding," manager John McLaren told the Mariners’ official Web site. "His defense, his throwing arm, the way he is running the bases. He has looked really, really good."
Ervin Santana (2-0, 3.32) has been very solid for Los Angeles this season. Santana turned in his longest outing of the young season by pitching seven innings and giving up three runs to earn a 7-4 victory at Texas on Monday.
The right-hander is looking for his first win this season at home, where he went 6-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 12 outings in 2007. He gave up two runs and six hits over six innings in his first start at Angel Stadium this season, a 4-3 loss to Cleveland on April 8.
Santana went 2-0 with a 4.40 ERA in three outings against the Mariners last season. He’s excelled in his last three home starts versus Seattle, going 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA.