September 29, 10:40 MLB Seattle Oakland Overseas Baseball Analysis Sports Analysis
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The Seattle Mariners, who achieved a narrow victory backed by a strong performance from their pitchers, will have Luis Castillo (11 wins, 12 losses, 3.64 ERA) making his return from injury. After a disappointing outing of 2 earned runs over 3 innings in the September 9 game against St. Louis, Castillo was placed on the injured list due to a left hamstring injury, but he is now returning after some rest. Although it's a return game, high innings may be a challenge. Despite winning the previous game, the Mariners' offense managed only 2 runs, both from home runs against Sears, and continues to struggle at home compared to away games. Their home run-heavy team composition is likely to persist until the end of the season. The bullpen's 4 scoreless innings were crucial, especially when they managed to escape a crisis in the 9th inning with a runner on third and nobody out.
The Oakland Athletics faced a complete loss due to the decline in their batting performance. They will have Joey Estes (7 wins, 9 losses, 4.99 ERA) trying for his 8th win of the season. After a poor outing of 5 earned runs over 4 innings in a home game against the Yankees on the 23rd, Estes is currently enduring a disastrous September ERA of 9.77. His hit rate of .387 could also be a significant setback in this game. After being shut out by Seattle's pitchers the previous day and suffering a 5-hit shutout loss, the Oakland lineup clearly showed their issues when not hitting home runs. Given their struggles, it’s likely that the lineup will continue to be ineffective throughout this series. The bullpen, however, has been performing adequately, managing 2 scoreless innings.
Seattle's batting has not been particularly lively. However, they should be able to sufficiently exploit Estes, who has been weak on the road. On the other hand, Oakland's inability to capitalize on Wu the previous day suggests that attacking Seattle's pitching staff will be almost impossible throughout the series. The Seattle Mariners, with a stronger roster, appear to be closer to victory.
Predicted Score: 5-2, Seattle wins
Handicap: Seattle wins
Over/Under: Under