Red Sox vs. Mariners Prediction
The defending champion Red Sox will begin their season in Seattle on Thursday night when they visit the Mariners at 7:10 p.m. ET. Despite Boston’s offensive firepower, is the under a good play for bettors tonight?
Game Snapshot & Odds
931 Boston Red Sox at 932 Seattle Mariners
Thursday, March 28, 2019
7:10 p.m. ET, T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
TV: ESPN
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Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Red Sox as a -196 favorite while the Mariners are listed as +180 money line underdogs. As of this writing, 76% of betting tickets are on the Mariners to win outright. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on this game.
Boston Red Sox Fantasy Spin
Chris Sale delivered another brilliant Grapefruit League start on Saturday, limiting the Pirates to just two hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. Fresh off of signing his contract extension, Sale went out and punched out six during his impressive afternoon performance. Though he made just two Grapefruit League starts, he didn’t allow a run in nine innings of work while compiling a 13/1 K/BB ratio. It’s safe to say that he looks ready for his Opening Day assignment against the Mariners in Seattle on Thursday.
Seattle Mariners Fantasy Spin
Marco Gonzales picked up a victory over the Athletics while allowing four runs — three earned — on seven hits over six innings on Wednesday. Gonzales struck out four while walking one. By definition, it’s a quality start, but it didn’t look like one early on. Gonzales really struggled in the first three innings, giving up all four runs in those frames and allowing two homers. He settled down nicely after that, and retired nine straight from the fourth-to-sixth inning. Gonzales doesn’t have elite swing-and-miss stuff, and this was a not-friendly reminder that if he doesn’t command his arsenal, he can get hit hard. We’ll see him back on the mound during the Mariners’ series against Boston starting next Thursday, and very possibly in the home opener against Chris Sale.
Boston
The Red Sox are 39-19 in Sale’s last 58 starts.
Seattle
The Mariners have dropped all four of Gonzales’ last four home starts.
Prediction:
Sale faded a bit at the end of the regular season last year but I’m banking on him returning to his monster status tonight. He owned a strikeout rate of 38% last year and he limits hard contact better than most pitchers in today’s game. He’ll face a Seattle lineup that does have some pop thanks to Mitch Haniger, Jay Bruce and newcomer Edwin Encarnacion, but Seattle is a pitcher’s park, so the runs should be suppressed tonight. Meanwhile, Gonzales did a nice job against right-handed hitters last year and he too will benefit from pitching in Seattle tonight. I like the under.
The Pick: Red Sox/Mariners under 7