White Sox starter Vincent Velasquez will take the mound as a fill-in for injured Lucas Giolito’s spot in the rotation. The -130 White Sox number on opening day in the South-Side is enticing for many (as of this writing, 81% of the money is on Chicago) but Velasquez is a fill in for a reason. Velasquez will get his strike outs today – however the Mariners are in the bottom third in all MLB in team strike outs. It’s a small sample size but it’s good to see that Seattle is making pitchers work.
The youngster, RHP Matt Brash, that Seattle is throwing out there today has been electric in the minors and most recently in spring training (0.96 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, & 12 Ks in 9.1 IP). Brash has a fastball/slider combo that should work well vs the aggressive bats in the White Sox lineup. The Mariners batting lineup should include a healthy dose of lefties today. Guaranteed Rate Field is the friendliest home run ballpark for lefty batters in all MLB – so it wont be out of the question to see either Winker, Kelenic, or even Toro go yard today for the M’s.
The Play: Mariners +110
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