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**Udog** · 03-19-2019, 11:52 PM

Mariners vs. Athletics
March 18, 2019

by Tom Wilkinson

Mariners vs. Athletics Odds

The 2019 MLB regular season gets underway in Tokyo, Japan this week, as the Seattle Mariners visit the Oakland Athletics for a two-game series. The games will start very early on Wednesday and Thursday morning, so if you are going to bet these games make sure to make your wagers the day before.

The Mariners will be going with Marco Gonzales and Yusei Kikuchi as their starting pitchers, while the A’s will counter with Mike Fiers and Marco Estrada. Let’s look at this series that can be seen on ESPN.

Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics
Date and Time: March 13-14
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
MLB Odds: TBA
Probable Pitchers: Gonzales vs. Fiers and Kikuchi vs. Estrada
Mariners vs. Athletics TV Coverage: ESPN

The A’s and Mariners will meet in Tokyo for the second series between the teams since 2012. The focus for the fans in Japan will be on Ichiro Suzuki who is back in Japan. The Mariners are expected to put Ichiro in the starting lineup for this series because the games are taking place in Japan.

Ichiro may not play in any other games after the two in Japan. Ichiro is 45-years old and really not considered a player who will make the team after this series in Japan. The Mariners have not announced whether Ichiro will stay with the team, retire or do something else. Many Japanese baseball fans would like Ichiro to announce his retirement during this series, but that seems unlikely to happen.

“It’s going to be emotional,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said to the media, “At the end of the day, he’s on the other side and I know he can impact those games. He’s had quite the flair for the dramatic over his career, so I’m hoping he doesn’t come up in a situation that can really hurt us.”

The A’s are coming off a surprising season a year ago that saw them win 97 games. This will be the third trip for the A’s to Japan since 2008. “I’m excited to go with all the guys that I care about,” third baseman Matt Chapman said to the media, “It should be an incredible experience.”

Melvin said that the games in Japan will be different. “The crowds are different. There are a lot of fun things and you’ll expand your horizons and understand that, internationally, it’s a little different than what we do here, and I think it’ll be good for them in the long run.” Melvin said to the media.

Starting Pitchers

The Mariners will be sending Gonzales in the opener. He ends the 10-year run of Felix Hernandez starting openers for the Mariners. He was 1-1 last season against the A’s with a 4.70 ERA in three starts. He will be opposed by Fiers who is making his first career Opening Day start. He was 12-8 last season with a 3.56 ERA.

The game on Thursday will see the Mariners send Kikuchi to the mound. He will be the first Japanese pitcher to open up his Major League career in Japan. He was 73-46 with a 2.77 ERA in eight seasons with the Seibu Lions. The A’s will counter with Estrada who had a miserable season last year for the Blue Jays, as he was 7-14 with a 5.64 ERA.

Key Stats

The Mariners are 2-6 in their last 8 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Mariners are 1-7 in Gonzales' last 8 starts. The Athletics are 4-1 in their last 5 games vs. a left-handed starter. The Athletics are 8-1 in Fiers' last 9 starts. The Under is 10-4 in the Mariners last 14 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Over is 4-1 in the Athletics last 5 games vs. a left-handed starter. The Over is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings in this series.

Mariners vs. Athletics Picks

I think the matchup between Gonzales and Fiers is a good one and I don’t see a lot of runs being scored, so I will go under the total at BetDSI in the game for Wednesday. I think the best choice for the Thursday game is to take the Mariners, as they look to have the edge with Kikuchi vs. Estrada.

**Udog** · 03-19-2019, 11:53 PM

Ichiro is big draw as A's, Mariners begin
March 18, 2019
By STATS LLC Editorial

Drums, trumpets, thunder sticks and, of course, coordinated songs, which even have dances to accompany them.

There's nothing quite like the atmosphere of baseball in Japan, an enormous reason why the Tokyo Dome will host Major League Baseball's 2019 opening series beginning Wednesday, featuring the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics, rivals in the American League West.

"It's a carnival atmosphere," Athletics manager Bob Melvin noted after an exhibition game at the stadium on Sunday. "There's a lot going on that's different" from the United States.

The main draw for the 200,000-plus spectators who will take in the two-game series will be whether Ichiro Suzuki will be playing the last games of his decades-long storied career.

The 45-year-old Japanese superstar, considered by some the greatest Japanese position player of all-time and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, has broken camp with the Mariners on their 28-man roster after moving from the playing field to a special advisory non-playing role with the club early last season.

Seattle manager Scott Servais said that Ichiro will start Wednesday's opener but it remains unclear whether he'll make the 25-man roster once the team returns to Seattle.

"We're really taking it a day at a time," Servais said. "We're looking at the two games here against Oakland. He'll be available in those two games and we'll see how it goes."

His play as of late may not merit it, but his career accomplishments have earned him the opportunity to prove it on this stage in his home country. He is also slated to start the second game in the series before finding out his 2019 fate prior to the home opener on March 28.

"This is a great gift for me," Ichiro said through an interpreter. "I will treasure every moment here on the field. One week after this event, I will be reflecting back on these days, so I will make sure I remember every moment here in Japan."

The A's begin 2019 after unexpectedly surging to the AL's second wild card spot a season ago, thanks to a second-half run that shot them to 97 wins, topping Seattle in the process.

Now, they have a talented young collection of position players who can offset a questionable rotation led by first-time Opening Day starter Mike Fiers. The 33-year-old was acquired last August in a trade and, for now, is the ace.

"You're one of 30 guys to start a big league season, and that's really cool," Fiers told MLB.com.

Fiers was left off Oakland's postseason roster last season despite posting a 3.71 ERA over 10 starts. The year prior, he was left off of Houston's postseason roster during its run to a World Series title.

The A's brought him back on a two-year, $14.1 million deal in December to try and bolster a rotation ravaged by injuries over the previous 12 months.

"He was the first guy we signed back for a reason, and this is one of the reasons, so I know he's pretty excited about it, and he did a nice job for us last year," Melvin said.

The Mariners will also have a new face on the mound for Opening Day. Felix Hernandez, the longtime ace who has started every opener since 2008, has been relegated to the back of the rotation, and the opener honors will go to southpaw Marco Gonzales.

Gonzales posting a 4.00 ERA last season, though advanced analytics view his 166 2/3 innings more favorably than that.

"I don't know if it's really hit me yet," Gonzales said upon receiving the news earlier in March. "I'm trying to just take it one day at a time and try to prepare myself the best I can."

--Field Level Media

**Udog** · 03-19-2019, 11:53 PM

'Rookie' Kikuchi in spotlight in major league debut in Japan
March 16, 2019
By The Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) Talk about a pressure situation.

Just as he was adjusting to life in the United States, Yusei Kikuchi is back in Japan getting ready to make his major league pitching debut in front of a sellout crowd at Tokyo Dome.

From his new teammates, to his Japanese fans to his family and friends, everyone will be expecting Kikuchi to come up with a dominant performance when he takes the mound for the Seattle Mariners on Thursday in Game 2 of the season-opening series against the Oakland A's.

''I never thought I would be making my debut in Japan,'' Kikuchi said in Japanese. ''It's like a dream come true. It's a new season for the team and new start for me so I want to pitch my best.''

In January, Kikuchi signed a four-year, $56 million deal with the Mariners that incudes club options that could make it worth $109 million over seven seasons.

And if the pressure of opening the season in Japan wasn't enough, Kikuchi is following in the footsteps of American League rookie of the year Shohei Ohtani. The two players are graduates of the same high school in Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan.

Seattle manager Scott Servais said he didn't hesitate to give the 27-year-old lefthander such a big assignment.

''Early on in camp, it was easy for me to see he was more than capable of handling everything we could throw at him,'' Servais said. ''His ability to continue to attack the strike zone with all his pitches is really going to be important throughout the season. I see no reason why he can't go out here and have a really good outing his first time out.''

Servais has said Kikuchi's biggest challenge will be adjusting to a more grueling MLB schedule.

Teams in Japan only play a 144-game season compared to 162 in the majors and the longest travel time between cities in Japan is less than two hours by plane.

The goal is to keep Kikuchi in the rotation all season but the Mariners may limit his innings on occasions to help with that.

And when it comes to getting advice on adjusting to the majors, Kikuchi couldn't have a better mentor than teammate and veteran Ichiro Suzuki.

''My teammates, members of the pitching staff have all given me their kind input and Ichiro-san has also given me some advice,'' Kikuchi said at a press conference.

Just for the record, Ichiro made it clear that he wasn't telling his young compatriot what to do.

''I gave him advice because he asked for it, I didn't volunteer it,'' Ichiro said, drawing a big laugh from Kikuchi.

The Mariners have traded several notable veterans this off season while building a roster with younger prospects. Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto is hoping Kikuchi will fit perfectly in his plans.

Last season, Kikuchi helped the Seibu Lions finish with the best record in the Pacific League in Nippon Professional Baseball when he went 14-4 and struck out 153 batters over 163-2/3 innings.

He has a career record of 73 wins, 46 losses and one save with a 2.77 ERA.

Kikuchi pitched Hanamaki-Higashi High School to Iwate's first national final at Koshien Stadium in the 2009 Spring Invitational. The following autumn, he met with representatives of at least eight big league clubs that were interested in signing him.

In October, six teams named him as their top pick in Japanese baseball's annual amateur draft, with the Lions winning his negotiating rights in a draft-day lottery.

Throughout his professional career, Kikuchi has established a reputation as Japan's hardest-throwing left-handed starter.

In addition to a four-seam fastball and a slider, he also throws a curve and a change, and has experimented with a split-fingered fastball and a two-seam sinking fastball.

Left-handers from Japan are a bit of a rarity in the majors. Kazuhisa Ishii enjoyed success with the Los Angeles Dodgers between 2002 and 2004 while Kei Igawa was a big disappointment for the New York Yankees over two seasons from 2007.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin knows Kikuchi will present a challenge for his young team.

''They kind of a have a home- field advantage here with Ichiro and Kikuchi,'' Melvin said. ''We've seen some limited video of (Kikuchi) so we know he's good...this will be our first taste of him so it's going to be exciting especially here at Tokyo Dome.''

**Udog** · 03-20-2019, 12:20 AM

MLB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, March 20

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SEATTLE (0 - 0) vs. OAKLAND (0 - 0) - 5:35 AM
MARCO GONZALES (L) vs. MICHAEL FIERS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 97-66 (+35.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 60-44 (+19.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 17-9 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in road games against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
FIERS is 21-9 (+18.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FIERS is 9-3 (+8.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FIERS is 15-7 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SEATTLE is 89-73 (+10.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 64-45 (+15.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

MARCO GONZALES vs. OAKLAND since 1997
GONZALES is 1-1 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 4.70 and a WHIP of 1.370.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+1.0 units)

MICHAEL FIERS vs. SEATTLE since 1997
FIERS is 2-1 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 6.28 and a WHIP of 1.345.
His team's record is 6-2 (+4.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-2. (+3.8 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, March 20

Wednesday’s game
Mariners vs A’s (in Japan)

Gonzales was 1-0, 1.71 in his last four starts LY; he is 1-1, 3.72 in four career games (3 starts) vs Oakland. Team in his starts: 0-0
5-inning record: 0-0 Allowed run in 1st inning: 0-0

Fiers was 2-2, 4.62 in five September starts LY; he is 2-1, 6.27 in eight career starts vs Seattle. Team in his starts: 0-0
5-inning record: 0-0 Allowed run in 1st inning: 0-0

Mariners were 10-9 vs Oakland LY, but wound up 89-73; they haven’t made playoffs since 2001, so they rebuilt their roster this winter. Lot of new faces. Ichiro Suzuki is playing in these games as a ceremonial thing.

A’s made it to the Wild Card game LY, winning 97 games, after having losing seasons the three years before that.

Not a lot of info to go on for the first few days of the season, especially with these games played in a foreign country; I’ll give you whatever I think is relevant.

MLB

Wednesday, March 20

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Trend Report
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Seattle Mariners
Seattle is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Seattle is 16-7 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Oakland
Seattle is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Oakland
Seattle is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Oakland
Seattle is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Seattle is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Oakland Athletics
Oakland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Oakland's last 15 games
Oakland is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Oakland is 7-16 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Seattle
Oakland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games when playing Seattle
Oakland is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
Oakland is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Seattle

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Announcement

Wednesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 3/20

Wednesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 3/20

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