Mariners vs. Yankees MLB Picks and Predictions

Two teams not expected to be contending for the second wild card berth in August will meet in the Bronx in a key four-game series. The Seattle Mariners have emerged as a possible wild card team, thanks in part to their dominance over the American League East leading Tampa Bay Rays. Seattle heads to New York just three games out of the last wild card, facing the Yankees, who are a game ahead in the race despite having visions of winning the division at the start of the year. Let’s take a look at the MLB odds for this game.

Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees

Thursday, 5 August 2021, 7:05 PM ET at Yankee Stadium

The Seattle Mariners, despite not expecting to contend for the postseason this year, are seven games over .500 and just three games out of the final wild card berth. Part of Seattle’s success is due to the Mariners’ dominance against the best teams in the American League. Seattle has winning records against current wild card leader Oakland, including winning three of four after the All-Star Break, and AL East leader Tampa Bay. Seattle is 6-1 against the Rays and coming off of winning two of three in Tampa.

Now the Mariners can make up ground against the team right ahead of them in the wild card standings. The Yankees, expected to win the East, are instead battling for the final spot in October. New York has won five of six and had the edge in its last three series to move to within two games of the final wild card spot.

Back on the Hunt

The trip to Tampa seems to have rejuvenated a team that was in a tailspin following a frustrating trade deadline week. Seattle was nine games over .500 and riding a four-game winning streak over Oakland and Houston when the Mariners surprisingly traded their closer, Kendall Graveman, to the Astros. The move sparked fan outrage and anonymous complaints in the Mariner clubhouse as it appeared the team gave up on the season.

The results quickly showed up on the field, as Seattle lost four of its next five heading into the series against the Rays. Some key pickups, including starter Tyler Anderson and closer Diego Castillo, later in deadline week appeared to soothe feelings somewhat, and the Mariners are back in the wild card hunt after a successful series in Florida.

It also helps that Abraham Toro, picked up in the Graveman trade, hit .440 in his first seven games as a Mariner, with three home runs. The prospect of overtaking the Yankees should help keep Seattle focused this weekend.

“I’m looking forward to the series in New York,” manager Scott Servais said. “I really am. I know our young players are too. A lot of them have never played there before. It’s gonna be a fun weekend.”

Anderson, picked up from the Pirates last week, gets the start on Thursday. He’s 5-8, 4.39 on the year, but his spin rates and movement on his pitches have been down the last two months as MLB cracked down on pitchers’ use of foreign substances to improve grip. After a 4.94 ERA in his last four June starts, Anderson seems to be finding his way, posting a 3.09 ERA in July.

Post Deadline Push

Despite appearing to be fading from the postseason picture, the Yankees were active at the trade deadline, adding Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo. The moves helped breathe life in the stagnant offense. New York has won five of six and seven of nine since the dealing began and scored 23 runs in the last two games. Of course, back-to-back series against last place teams Miami and Baltimore have helped spur the hot streak.

Despite the poor opposition, the Yankees appear to finally be on the right track after countless false starts in a frustrating season. New York matched its season best record, moving nine games over .500 for the first time since May 23, and the Yankees have won seven of their last eight series.

“We keep grinding away,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The bottom line is, we keep our nose down and keep after it.”

The hot streak has come as the Yankees have seen two starting pitchers—Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery—taken out of the rotation due to positive COVID tests. That opens the door for Nestor Cortes—who missed the start of the second half with his own COVID issues—to enter the rotation. The lefthander has started just three times in 11 appearances this year, but he’s done role in every role he’s played, posting a 1.93 ERA.

The Pick

If the Yankees have shown anything this season, it’s not to be too quick to trust the fool’s gold. While the team has looked impressive, beating the Mariners will be a bigger task than bullying the Marlins and Orioles. For our MLB picks, with Cortes on the mound, look for New York to take a step back as it cobbles together a rotation for the next week or so.

MLB Pick: Mariners (+200) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)

Mariners (+200)

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*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.

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