Mariners vs Angels Betting Preview: MLB West Rivals Mix it Up

Our Mariners vs Angels betting preview starts with a look at opening MLB odds, which may look off at first glance with Shohei Ohtani (5-2, 3.30) getting the ball for Los Angeles against Luis Castillo (4-3, 2.55) for Seattle.

We expected the number to be in the -170 range, due to Ohtani inflation and the fact that the Angels are the better team at home, but the bookmakers have made their opinion known with Los Angeles only a slight -120 favorite. As we continue our Mariners vs Angels betting preview there’s a likely reason bookmakers are on board with Castillo on the road.

Castillo Hoping to Continue Past Success Against Angels

The Seattle Mariners’ playoff odds have dipped to -450 to not make the playoffs after a recent slide. That needs to change with a critical series in Anaheim with Luis Castillo getting the ball. This will be Castillo’s 13th start of the season and second against the Angeles.

In his first start, the righty threw almost six innings (5.2) of two-hit ball, helping the Mariners to an 11-2 win on April 4th. Castillo didn’t allow an earned run while striking out six and walking two. The Dominican native is 2-0 lifetime against the Angels with a 1.93 era.

Perhaps that has something to do with the oddsmakers showing their confidence in the 2-time all-star. Buyer beware because this is still a Seattle team that has cost bettors 942 units and has lost two of the three meetings overall against LA.

Over the last two MLB seasons, Seattle is 10-12 (-440 units) against the Angels, and just 2-7 as an underdog (-449 units) in that span. Let’s continue our Mariners vs Angels betting preview by moving the spotlight to Los Angeles.

Rested Ohtani Ready to Rebound

For as much success that Shohei Ohtani has had in his short Major League Baseball career, it stands to reason that the hitter/pitcher will need to rest at some point, even at the ripe old age of 28. Coming off his worst performance as a pitcher where he allowed five earned runs in six innings at Houston.

The Japanese native allowed nine hits with two of them leaving the yard. Manager Phil Nevin decided it was time to give his righty just one more day off from mound duties, so tonight we’ll see Ohtani on six days’ rest. That allowed his ace to focus on his hitting for a few days which Ohtani turned into one of his best stretches of offense this entire season with seven hits in his last 15 at-bats with a homer and 4 RBI.

At 34-30, the Angels have been slightly in the red for bettors with 97 units lost on the season, but seasoned bettors know that the Angels haven’t turned in a profitable season since 2017, going 362-410 (.469) -6502 units.

Only two other teams (San Diego Padres -6,981 units and Kansas City Royals -7640) have been worse in that span, which obviously has created trust issues for the books. We conclude our Mariners vs Angels betting preview with our official recommendation.

Pitcher’s Duel Clearly Paving Way for An Over

The opening total sits at 7 (-135 over). We know that we’re staring at two pitchers that can put up zeroes for nine innings, but if there is one thing we’ve learned in chemistry, or maybe some other class that we don’t remember, is that two positives usually equal a negative, or something like that!

In 2023 when the total was seven or lower, it’s the under that is 18-14, but we’ve been doing this long enough to know that this won’t last because, since 2015, the over is 934-842 (53%) when the total is seven or less. Betting the over while using this filter and the public would be up 2564 units.

We’re not going against what will inevitably be, take the over seven (-135). That does it for our Mariners vs Angels betting preview, we wish you all the best with your Friday Major League Baseball card.

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