Sports fans are in for a treat later tonight as we’ve lined up a pair of blockbuster MLB games that will definitely tickle your baseball fancy. Kicking things off tonight is the much-anticipated showdown between the Seattle Mariners and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then, the Los Angeles Dodgers square off with the Tampa Bay Rays in a marquee interleague matchup.
Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two baseball games and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview for the 2016 PGA Championship.
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Seattle Mariners vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 PM ET)
Line: Seattle Mariners (+105) at Pittsburgh Pirates (-115); total: 8.5 – view all MLB lines
Pitching for Pittsburgh this evening is Francisco Liriano (6-9, 4.96 ERA). The right-hander returned to form on Thursday, striking out 13 Brewers without a walk over 6.2 innings. The Bucs won that game, 5-3. It was a remarkable performance by Liriano who issued zero free passes for just the second time in 19 starts. He leads the major leagues with 62 walks in 105.1 innings pitched this season.
The Mariners, on the other hand, will have Felix Hernandez (4-4, 3.23 ERA) as their starting pitcher tonight. He struggled mightily in his last start against the Boston Red Sox, surrendering five runs on ten hits and two walks while striking out just two hitters in a no-decision Wednesday. King Felix was understandably rusty after missing two months because of a calf injury.
The Mariners are 4-1 in their last five road games against the Pirates.
Writer’s Prediction
Seattle (+105) wins, 4-2.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (10:10 PM ET)
Line: Tampa Bay Rays (+113) at Los Angeles Dodgers (-123); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Things are going from bad to worse for the Tampa Bay Rays as they dropped their third consecutive game Sunday with a gut-wrenching 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics. The Rays will look to get their season back on track when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in their series opener tonight.
Pitching for Tampa Bay in this interleague matchup is Chris Archer (5-13, 4.60 ERA). He was solid in his last start, allowing just two runs on four hits in six innings of action in Tampa Bay’s 11-3 rout of the Colorado Rockies. Archer was simply dominant in that meeting, striking out 11 Colorado batters. It was a huge bounce-back performance by Archer who had allowed at least four runs in four of his previous five starts.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, will have Bud Norris (5-9, 4.56 ERA) as their starter tonight. The 31-year-old went five innings in his last start against the Nationals, giving up six runs on seven hits. The Dodgers lost that game in a blowout, 8-1. Norris has 26 strikeouts in 22.2 innings since joining Los Angeles from Atlanta on June 30.
The Dodgers are 3-0 in their last three home games against the Rays.
Writer’s Prediction
Tampa Bay (+113) wins, 5-4.
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