Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees Prediction: Can George Kirby, Mariners Avoid the Sweep?
The Seattle Mariners host the New York Yankees for the final game in their series. Can George Kirby and the Mariners avoid the sweep? Ben Rajavuori provides his prediction and pick for this late-night game.
Ben Rajavuori - May 31, 2023, 3:54 PM EDT
5 minSeattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees Prediction: Can George Kirby, Mariners Avoid the Sweep?
The New York Yankees have caught fire in May, as they are second in the MLB in win percentage this month behind the Texas Rangers. They are 19-9 this month and are now one game from sweeping the Seattle Mariners on the road. They have won four in a row and have scored 33 runs in the past four days. The Mariners are just 28-27 and have hit a small skid in 2023. Despite losing the series' first two games as favorites, the Mariners are favorites again today to avoid the sweep.
Mariners vs. Yankees Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
- Start Time: 9:40 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees Prediction
Clarke Schmidt gets the start for the Yankees, and he is 2-5 with a 5.58 ERA. While he does not have great numbers this season, he is coming off back-to-back good starts against the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles, giving up three earned runs in the ten combined innings in those two starts. Schmidt got off to a horrible 6.84 ERA in April, but the Yankees as a whole struggled in April. Now, in May, Schmidt has a 4.32 ERA and has been looking better and better as the season progresses.
On the other side will be George Kirby taking the mound for the Mariners. Kirby has much better numbers than Schmidt this season, sporting a 5-4 record and a 3.43 ERA. However, Kirby has been trending in the opposite direction as Schmidt. While Schmidt has improved as the season progressed, Kirby has gotten worse. Kirby had four quality starts in April and had a 2.93 ERA last month. In May, Kirby now has a 3.9 ERA and has given up ten runs in his last two starts combined. He is coming off his worst outing of the year, giving up seven runs to the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates, as the Mariners lost that game 6-11.
On paper, the Mariners have the pitching advantage, but baseball is all about momentum, and Schmidt now has the better momentum. He has found his groove, while Kirby is coming off a horrible outing. As a whole, the Yankee's bats have much more momentum than the Mariners as well. They have a combined 50 hits in their last four games and put up 10+ runs in three straight games. Sure, the simulations and books all say this will be a close game and that the Mariners should edge it out, but with the momentum that the Yankees have, I can't pass on them at such a good price as underdogs.
The Yankees were plus-money in both of the first two games of this series as well and blew the Mariners out. Aaron Judge is simply unstoppable right now, and their lineup is healthy. The books didn't adjust this line for game three, and Kirby has the lower ERA, but I think the Yankees put another good effort in at the plate tonight and sweep the Mariners.
Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees Pick
Pick: Yankees ML +120 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbooks have the best odds for this pick
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