Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners: MLB Picks

Written April 21, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz

rays-mariners-preview-042109 The Rays are off to a rough start this year going 5-8 in their first 13 games as they have also dropped five or their last six contests. When you take a look at the numbers as I have, you’ll see that they have hit very well. Jason Bartlett is hitting over .400, Carlos Pena has been a one man wrecking crew cracking 6 home runs and 15 RBIs to date and Evan Longoria has hit 5 home runs and 12 RBIs as well. Lead Off man Akinori Iwamura is hitting over .300 to start while last years all-star catcher Dioner Navarro is struggling along side new free agent signing Pat Burrell. The struggle area has been their starting rotation. This has been a surprise to many as they were expected to be a dominating bunch. Now, it is very early, so no need to panic, yet. Andy Sonnanstine is the pitcher for the Rays tonight as they face the Seattle Mariners. In his first two starts he has been well below average going 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA and didn’t make it past the 5th inning in either start.. Tonight may be the night he posts his first solid stat line of the young season. Last season in two starts he went 0-1 against the Mariners but that was due to lack of run support. He posted a 3.38 ERA as Seattle only hit .245 against him as a team. Thirteen games into the season nobody is going to be jumping off Bridges when a team is three games under .500. However, in this division, you don’t want to build yourself to deep of a hole due to heavy hitters in the AL East. The key factor for Tampa tonight will be to work the count and be patient. The difference maker will be Pat Burrell as I predict this game will be his coming out party. Tuesday’s baseball lines have the Rays -105 against Seattle and the Over/Under set for 8.5 runs.

The Seattle Mariners are 8-5 on the year. They are currently on a two game losing streak and seem to be coming back down to earth. The M’s have had guys like Endy Chavez and Russell Branyan playing like every day stars when in reality they are nothing more then nice utility players. The Return of Ichiro will be a plus but expect a steady decline to continue. Their high priced third baseman Adrian Beltre has been weak at the plate hitting .200 with 6 RBIs and has not hit a home run this season. Seattle sends Jarrod Washburn to the mound tonight. He will be looking to go 3-0 this year and has been very sharp. He not only has won his first two starts, but he has posted a 1.29 ERA while giving up only 9 hits in 14 innings pitched. Last season Washburn started one game against the Rays going 1-0 allowing only one run in 7 innings of work. His sudden resurgence has surprised many as he went 5-14 last season with a 4.75 ERA. It will be key for Seattle to play sound defense tonight as the Rays are a very disciplined team. If the Mariners end up winning this game it will be due to Ichiro and Endy Chavez setting the tone of the base paths. Seattle isn’t deep enough to rely on power so it will be manufacturing runs that they will bank on. Picks and Notes below.

Haimo’s Hot Notes: The Rays are 2-6 in their last eight games as an underdog. Tampa is 3-7 in their last 10 road games. The Rays won last year’s season series 4-3 and are focused on winning the first game of this series tonight. After last years miracle run they gained experience and knowledge more then anything. Some of that knowledge is how jam packed the AL East is talent wise. Every game counts. All trends point to Seattle and OVER. Lets crack some trends tonight. The Rays have more balanced hitting with much better power. Both bullpens are weak and the Mariners are ready to start the downward spiral that I figured would happen much earlier. The Rays are currently -105 and the O/U is set at 8.5. Lets make it happen.

Jordan’s Picks: Tampa Bay Rays -105 & UNDER 8.5 Runs

Documented MLB Record:

21-9 OVERALL

8-3 BEST BET (yesterdays BEST BET was Yanks/A’s over which got postponed)

Well, our eight game winning streak was snapped last night as the Astros blew a boatload of opportunities. Down 4-3 in the 8th inning, they had 1st and 3rd with one out and Lance Berkman at the plate, who decided to swing at the first pitch and flied out to shallow right. The two batters later with the bases loaded, Hunter Pence struck out looking on a 3-2 count. However, lets not cry about spilled milk as we are ready to start our new winning streak tonight.

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