Betting Preview: Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners

Saturday night will feature the third of a four-game series between the Cleveland Indians and the Seattle Mariners. The two teams have split the first two games of the series. This is a four-game series, as the two teams will get back together on Sunday afternoon to wrap it up. Cleveland comes into this game as the slight favorite in this game. The Indians are listed -125 over the Mariners on Saturday.

Cleveland Turns to Rookie Righthander

The Cleveland Indians are turning to youngster Triston McKenzie to start in this game. The 23-year-old from Brooklyn has thrown in 6 games this season and started 5 of them. His earned run average is a little high at 4.94, but overall, he is keeping the Indians competitive in games. McKenzie went 5 innings in his last start and allowed just 2 hits and no runs. He did walk 4 in the game but struck out 5. The weakness for McKenzie early on has been his walks. He has walked 16 batters over his last 16 innings pitched.

Ramirez Leading Cleveland Offense

While the Seattle Mariners have struggled, so have the Cleveland Indians. Jose Ramirez is the top home run hitter with 11 on the season, while Franmil Reyes is second with 9. The Indians do not rank much better in most offensive categories, as they have a team batting average of .210 on the season. The Indians will face Justus Sheffield for Seattle. Sheffield has thrown 33 innings and walked 11 while striking out 29. He is currently 2-3 on the season with a 4.91 earned run average.

Kelenic Mania

Jarred Kelenic came up on Thursday and then on Friday helped the Seattle offense to a win. He picked up three hits in the win. The 21-year-old from Wisconsin hits from the left side and will look to reshape a Seattle offense that has struggled all season. The Mariners are dead last in team batting average at .204 and are scoring just 4 runs per game, and hold the third-worst OBP in Major League Baseball.

Mitch Haniger and Kyle Seager are the two biggest threats in the lineup. Haniger leads the team with 11 home runs and also has chipped in 7 doubles, while Seager has 8 home runs and 9 doubles on the season. Ty France, who is out right now with an injury, also has 9 doubles on the season for the Mariners.

Indians Mash Mariners

There is still a lot to like about the Cleveland Indians offense. Despite their struggles at times this season, they have guys that can get on base and guys that can drive guys home. Despite the offensive struggles, the Indians lineup is still more well-rounded than the Seattle Mariners.

For that reason, we like the Indians to win this game. This looks like a game that will feature some bullpen action, and the Indians' offense will feast on an average at best Mariners bullpen. We like the Indians to win this game, and oddly - to be a bunch of runs scored on Saturday. With a win, the Indians can look to take the series on Sunday afternoon.