Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels Prediction, Picks and Preview – May 5, 2015

The Seattle Mariners (11-15) finally ended their three-game losing streak with a win over the Los Angeles Angels (11-15) on Tuesday. The skid meanwhile continues for the Angels, who will send Garrett Richards to the mound for Game 2 of this three-game series. Will the Mariners follow up on their series-opening victory with another win? Or will the Angels tie up the series?

Over at the NBA, the Golden State Warriors look to go up 2-0 in their series against the Memphis Grizzlies. Click here for a full preview of that game.
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Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels Preview

Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim

When: Monday, May 5, 10:05 PM ET

Line: Seattle Mariners (+127) vs. Los Angeles Angels (-137); total: 7.5– view all MLB lines

Betting on the Seattle Mariners

Felix Hernandez has always been a tough act to follow, but James Paxton aims to be just as good as King Felix when he goes up against the Angels’ lineup. Seattle is 3-2 in Paxton’s last five starts against the Halos.

[sc:MLB240banner ]The Mariners are coming off a 3-2 win over LA on Monday, wherein Hernandez pitched for seven sterling innings, surrendering just one run while striking out eight hitters. With the win, Seattle improved to 8-4 in its last 12 games in Anaheim.

Paxton (0-2, 5.74 ERA) pitched well in his most recent outing, albeit in a 3-2 loss to Houston on April 30.The lefty tossed for seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits. He’s still winless thus far this year, but an improving command (prior to his outing against the Astros, Paxton had a 6.86 ERA) may help him notch his first W of the season later tonight.

Nelson Cruz and the rest of the Mariners’ hitters, however, must generate enough runs for Paxton to work on—especially with the pitcher just beginning to find his form.

Cruz has been a monster at the plate for Seattle. In the series opener, Cruz belted his 14th home run of the season and fourth in four games. He is batting .340/.382/.796 this season with 26 RBIs to boot. Those hitting in front of Cruz, meanwhile, can maximize the cleanup hitter’s power if they can consistently get on base. Leadoff hitter Austin Jackson owns a mediocre .294 OBP. Robinson Cano, on the other hand, is batting just .192 (5-for-29) with a .200 OBP over the Mariners’ last seven outings.

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Betting on the Los Angeles Angels

A day after being stupefied by Felix Hernandez’s stuff, the Angels will return to the field again in search of a win that will end their current losing skid. The Angels enter tonight’s game having lost all of their previous four outings.

On the mound for LA for Game 2 is Garrett Richards, who is slowly getting his groove back since suffering a devastating leg injury last year. Richards (2-1, 3.00 ERA) has won in each of his last two starts, including the Angels’ 6-5 win over Oakland on April 30. In that game, Richards pitched for six innings and gave up just one run on six hits, while striking out five hitters and walking three. It was Richards’ best performance thus far this season and he’ll look to build on that decent outing against Seattle.

Last season, Richards started twice against Seattle, coming up with a 1-0 record with 0.60 ERA and .533 WHIP in 15 total innings pitched. The under is 5-0 in Richards’ last five starts against the Mariners. In addition, the Angels are 7-2 in Richards’ last nine starts in Game 2 of a series.

The Angels, however, are pressed to deliver at the plate. They’ve scored just eight runs over their four-game losing skid. Thus far this season, their offense has been underwhelming, ranking 28th in batting average (.224), 27th in on-base percentage (.289), and 28th in slugging percentage (.339).

Mike Trout, who went 1-for-4 in the series opener, is batting .308 (8-for-26) over the last seven games. He is the only player on the team who’s averaging better than .250 during that stretch among qualified LA hitters.

Writer’s Prediction

LA (-137) wins, 6-4.
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