Mariners vs. Guardians (September 4): Cleveland’s AL Central lead at stake as Seattle seeks sweep

Regardless of the outcome of this afternoon’s series finale in Cleveland, the Seattle Mariners will head into perhaps their most important stretch of the season with their form in the right place.

After they wrap up their series with the Guardians, the M’s will host the White Sox, Braves, and Padres for eight games.

But with last night’s 4-0 win over Cleveland, Seattle extended its current win streak to six games and wrapped up its second straight weekend series win over the Guardians.

A mere series win won’t be enough for Seattle, with the Baltimore Orioles only 3.5 games back in the AL wild-card race and aiming for their own sweep at home against the Oakland A’s.

But the Guardians will be eager to shake their current struggles, which have made their position atop the AL Central rather perilous with the Twins and surging White Sox both nipping at their heels.

Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Guardians Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Seattle Mariners (75-58, 40-30 away, 2nd in the AL West) vs. Cleveland Guardians (68-63, 33-29 home, 1st in the AL Central)
• Venue & Location: Progressive Field (Cleveland, Ohio)
• Date: Sunday, September 4, 2022
• Game Time: 2:40 p.m. Eastern Time

Mariners vs. Guardians Pitching Matchup

• Seattle: George Kirby (2022: 19 starts, 6-3, 3.16 ERA)
• Cleveland: Cal Quantrill (2022: 25 starts, 11-5, 3.50 ERA)

Mariners vs. Guardians Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. This article may mention odds from other legal sports betting sites that we have reviewed.

Moneyline

• Seattle Mariners -132
• Cleveland Guardians +112

Over/Under

• Over 7.5 (-108)
• Under 7.5 (-112)

Run Line

• Seattle Mariners -1.5 (+130)
• Cleveland Guardians +1.5 (-156)

Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Guardians Prediction and Picks

Mariners vs. Guardians Prediction: Cleveland to win

Mariners vs. Guardians Picks: Seattle/Cleveland under 7.5 (Best Value: -105 at Bovada Sportsbook) & Cleveland team total under 3.5 runs (Best Value: -118 at BetUS)

Last night, the Guardians were shut out for the third time in their current four-game losing streak. The 4-0 loss was also the fifth time that Cleveland has been blanked in their last 12 games, a stretch in which they have lost eight times.

Over their last 39 innings, the Guardians have scored one run. One run. And over the course of the last two weekends, Seattle has now held Cleveland to just eight runs in six games, with three of their runs coming in the eighth inning of their lone win on August 27.

Will they break out of their slump in today’s finale against the Mariners?

It’s not likely to happen against Kirby, who is 4-0 with a 2.17 ERA in his last nine starts. Since giving up seven runs in a loss to the Orioles on June 27, Kirby has surrendered just 12 runs in across the last two months.

Even more impressively, the rookie right-hander has not allowed a single home run in his last nine starts since giving up a dozen long balls in his first ten starts.

Monthly Splits for George Kirby

• July (four starts): 0-0, 2.21 ERA, 20.1 IP, 19 H, 5 R (5 ER), 0 HR, 4 BB, 24 K
• August (five starts): 4-0, 2.15 ERA, 29.1 IP, 30 H, 7 R (7 ER), 0 HR, 3 BB, 34 K

Seattle has been pitching well overall as they have continued their push for the postseason. They have not allowed more than three runs in their current win streak, and they have given up more than three runs just four times in a 13-4 stretch.

That said, the Guardians are a solid pick as a home underdog this afternoon. They have won the last ten games that Quantrill has started and have scored at least six runs in all but two games.

I don’t see them touching that many today against Kirby and Seattle, but Quantrill has had stellar outings in wins against four other playoff hopefuls in recent weeks.

• vs. Houston (8/6): 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K
• at Toronto (8/12): 7 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
• at San Diego (8/24): 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 6 K
• vs. Baltimore (8/30): 6 IP, H, R (ER), 3 BB, 4 K

Look for him to spin another gem and for Cleveland to end a frustrating week on a positive note.

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