The Seattle Mariners go for a fourth straight victory when they host the Chicago Cubs in a spring training contest in Peoria, Ariz., on Wednesday night. Seattle (10-8) is coming off a 3-0 shutout of Arizona on Tuesday.
The Cubs (12-7) come into this one having dropped two in a row, including a 3-1 decision to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.
These two teams have played once this spring, finishing in an 8-8 tie on March 3. This will be their last meeting of the spring as teams are starting to gear up for the start of the regular season.
The pitching matchup for this one has Chicago’s Zach Davies (2-0, 0.00 ERA) going against Seattle’s Justin Dunn (0-0, 3.52 ERA). The first pitch is scheduled for 9:40 pm ET.
Looking at the MLB odds for this game, Seattle has its moneyline set for -125, while the Cubs are at -105.
Making An Impression
One of the better pickups for the Cubs in the offseason was left fielder Joc Pederson, who has been hitting the ball well this spring. Coming into this game, Pederson is batting .342 with five home runs and 11 RBI, leading the Cubs in the latter two categories.
Last season with the Dodgers, Pederson had just seven home runs and hit .190. This after a 2019 campaign that saw him hit 36 home runs, drive in 74 runs and hit .249, all career-best numbers. He’s hoping the move to the Windy City will help him recapture some of that 2019 magic.
This will be Davies’ fourth start of the spring, as he’s gone nine innings, giving up just four hits, walking five and striking out four. The right-hander was 7-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 12 starts for the Padres last season. He came to Chicago in the Yu Darvish trade this offseason and is hoping to replace Darvish in the starting rotation.
Gaining Momentum
The Mariners are starting to heat up, winning five of their last six. That might not mean a lot considering it’s spring training, but this is a team that started spring training with just two wins in its first 10 outings.
Also, for a squad that finished just two games out of a playoff spot last season, getting off to a good start this year is certainly a priority after missing the postseason by such a small margin. Manager Scott Servais would like to see the momentum from spring training success carry over to the regular season.
Ty France has been a solid hitter in the early going, leading the Mariners with five home runs and 15 hits. The 26-year-old third baseman played in 22 games for Seattle last season after coming over from San Diego in a midseason trade, batting .309 with two home runs and 13 RBI.
Dunn is looking for his first win of spring training, making his third start in four appearances. Dunn has pitched 7 2/3 innings so far, giving up five hits and three earned runs while walking six and striking out eight.
Extending The Streak
The Mariners might have a hard time getting runs across against Davies, who has been very good this spring. But Seattle is the home team in this contest and has been able to put some wins together of late.
This game should be a close one, but we like the Mariners to keep their winning streak intact. When making your MLB betting picks, go with Seattle.
