Angels vs Mariners: Both Contending for a Playoff Position Out of the AL West

• Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani hit back-to-back homers on Sunday
• The Angels enter at 2-1 while the Mariners are 1-3
• Taylor Ward is hitting .500 through three games for Los Angeles 

Angels vs Mariners Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Angels vs Mariners Pick

The Angels and Mariners are both contending for a playoff position out of the AL West. The Astros are expected to win the division with ease as we have seen for years. However, Los Angeles and Seattle both have strong teams with quality pitching and hitting. The Angels opened the season with a loss against the Athletics before dominating Oakland in the proceeding two games. 

The Mariners struggled against the Guardians and didn’t capitalize on multiple run-scoring opportunities. This is one reason we’re concerned to play Seattle at -145. The plus money for the red-hot Angels, who have multiple power hitters, is where we’re leaning for this matchup.  

• Angels ML (+125)

Angels vs Mariners Predictions 

Reid Detmers will take the ball for the Angels. The lefty has a lot of promise in the big leagues but ran into issues with control last season. Detmers threw 129 innings, striking out 122, but his walk rate was high. There were moments when the pitcher struggled to command his fastball early in counts. Although, Detmers is just in his age 23 season and already has a lot of experience against big league hitters. 

Based on his Spring Training performances, it seems like he took a lot of steps forward in the offseason. We expect him to have a strong night against a Mariners team that struggled offensively in the opening series of the season. 

George Kirby, another young wing, will pitch for the Mariners. He is in his sophomore season in the show and put up similar numbers to Detmers last season. Kirby has more command of his fastball and limits walks. When he gets ahead in counts, it also helps him limit the long ball by keeping batters off balance. He will need this against a star-studded Los Angeles lineup that is putting together quality at-bats in the opening weekend.

Even though the Angels didn’t beat the best competition in Oakland, they still have confidence heading into this series. Los Angeles has a lot of pop in their lineup, and we like them to get to Kirby and the Mariners bullpen. 

Los Angeles Angels Preview

The Angels were horrendous in the first game of the season against the Athletics, but they turned the page quickly. The Angels put on a two-game laser show, blasting multiple homers throughout the entire lineup. Taylor Ward is hitting .500 to start the year with a homer, three runs, and four RBI. 

If the Angels can continue to get this production out of Ward, it will only help Trout and Ohtani. Pitchers will have to pick who to attack in the Los Angeles lineup, and there are very few easy outs one through nine.

The Angels bullpen shut the door in the second two games of the series. However, they did give a game away in the opener when Ohtani was fantastic on the mound. There is still a lot for Los Angeles to improve on, but their offense was noteworthy in the first weekend of play. 

Seattle Mariners Preview

The Seattle Mariners won their opening game of the season 3-0 over the Guardians. Yet, Cleveland stayed composed and whipped off three straight wins. Seattle’s offense was expected to be fantastic, but they were lackluster through the first four games. Outside of a homer from Julio Rodriguez, the team did a bad job moving runners over and converting on their chances. 

Aaron Civale shut them out on Saturday, and they were only 2-12 with runners in scoring position on Sunday. They lost the series finale by a run, so one hit with runners in scoring position would have made a difference in the game. 

The Angels are better than the Guardians when they’re playing well, and the AL West is loaded this season. Seattle must improve on their first series flaws quickly to get back on the right track. 

Angels vs Mariners How to Watch

• Location: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
• Game Time & Date: APR. 3 @ 9:40 p.m ET
• Streaming: MLB.TV