The Oakland Athletics will take on the Seattle Mariners in the final game of their MLB series at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday (September 22) afternoon. The Athletics have won the series 2-0 and will now look for a sweep.
The Mariners have lost five of their last six games, taking their record to 81-67. They currently hold the last wildcard spot in the American League, ahead of the Baltimore Orioles by just four games. They're in dire need of a win to cement their chances of makingthe post-season. With only 15 games left in the season, it will be interesting to see how the Mariners fare here.
The Athletics, surprisingly, have beaten the Mariners in two consecutive games. They have already been eliminated from their division and were out of contention to fight for a playoff berth a long time ago. They have had a pretty terrible season, but they will hope to end on a good note and carry that momentum into next season.
"Tip-of-the-Kap" - Athletics
The Athletics will start Adrian Martinez on the mound. He's 4-5 for the season with a 1.51 WHIP. He has had his struggles from the hill this season and has struggled for consistency with his pitching regime. This will be his tenth start of the season and second against the Mariners. In his last start against the Mariners, Martinez gave up seven runs on seven hits in 4.2 IP.
The Mariners, meanwhile, will give the ball to George Kirby for the final game of the series. He's 7-4 this season with an ERA of 2.98, a 1.12 WHIP and has raked in 123 Ks. This will be his 23rd start of the season and fourth against the Athletics. In his last three starts against the Athletics, Kirby gave up five runs on 16 hits with 24 Ks in 18.0 IP. He'll look to command authority in this game.
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Match Details: Oakland Athletics vs Seattle Mariners
Fixture: Seattle Mariners @ Oakland Athletics.
Date & Time: Thursday, September 22; 12:37 pm EDT.
Venue: RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland, California
Oakland Athletics vs Seattle Mariners Betting Odds
Oakland Athletics vs Seattle Mariners Picks and Betting Predictions
The Mariners will need to win as many games they can in the remainder of the season to clinch a playoff berth. They will look to come out of the blocks to hit out at Martinez and will expect a strong performance from Kirby on the hill.
Kirby is a good strike-thrower and will look to rattle the A's early on to provide his team a fighting chance of winning the final game of the series and avoid getting swept away.