Mariners vs Athletics Pick: Surprising A’s Are Right Behind Seattle (May 5)

• Our Mariners vs Athletics pick takes a look at the stunning A’s as they breathe down the necks of 1st place Seattle
• The A’s are one of MLB‘s biggest and best surprises, somehow winning 19 of their 35 games
• Seattle has rebounded from a woeful offensive start and devastating injuries to climb into the lead in the AL West
• The A’s start veteran Luis Severino; Seattle responds with Bryce Miller

Seattle Sends Miller to the Mound to Corral the Upstart A’s

The Mariners got off to a woeful offensive start. Their prospects for a recovery got worse when 2nd baseman Ryan Bliss and outfielder Victor Robles suffered long-term injuries. However, since losing 7 of their first 11 games, they have gone 16-6 to take over 1st place in the AL West.

Against the A’s, they start Bryce Miller. The righty has a respectable 3.52 ERA and has only allowed 1 home run this season. But his control has been a problem. In his last start against the Angels, he pitched 5 innings, gave up 2 hits and no runs, but walked 5. Overall, he has walked 19 in 30.2 innings.

Against Miller, the Athletics’ Lawrence Butler is 2 for 4 with a home run. Shea Langeliers is 1 for 8, but that hit was a homer. Miguel Andujar is 2 for 3. Brent Rooker is 3 for 11.

For the Mariners, Cal Raleigh leads the majors in home runs. Jorge Polanco has 9 homers. Dylan Moore has 6. Randy Arozarena has 5, as does Julio Rodriguez. As a team, they do not hit for a high batting average, but they put the ball over the wall.

The A’s Send Severino Out, Trying to Show They Are for Real

Thirty-five games is not a large sample size, but it’s not a small one either. It’s nearly a quarter of the season. The A’s are essentially homeless, do not use a city’s name anymore, and will not until they get to Las Vegas, and were expected to fall to the cellar of the division with only the White Sox protecting them from being among the worst teams in the league.

Yet, here they are.

It’s a tribute to the most underappreciated manager in baseball, Mark Kotsay.

They have veteran leadership from several players, including their starter against Seattle, Luis Severino.

Despite a 1-3 record, Severino has amassed a 1.8 bWAR a month into the season. He has pitched at least 6 or more innings in five of his seven starts. He pitched 5 innings in the others. In 43.2 innings, he has allowed 38 hits, walked 13, and struck out 33.

For the Mariners, Polanco is 5 for 11 against Severino with a home run. Raleigh is 2 for 4 with a homer. Rowdy Tellez is 2 for 12, but has a homer. Severino has handled Rodriguez. The center fielder is 0 for 5.

Like the Mariners, the A’s are also living by the home run. Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom have 9 each. Langeliers has 6. Butler and Luis Urias have 5 each. JJ Bleday has 4.

Closer Mason Miller’s ERA was blown into the atmosphere by a terrible outing against the Marlins on Saturday, but he has otherwise been excellent.

Mariners vs Athletics Pick: The A’s Will Gain Ground on the M’s

The A’s will be patient with the Mariners’ Miller and wait for pitches they can hit out of the park. Severino has been excellent so far this season. The Athletics will gain a game on Seattle and, stunningly, crawl to within a game of 1st place in the AL West.