Oakland Athletics (10-40) vs. Seattle Mariners (24-24)
The 2023 Major League Baseball season continues Thursday, May 25, with the Oakland Athletics facing off against the Seattle Mariners in the AL West showdown at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, and the first pitch is set for 9:40 PM ET.
Oakland and Seattle close down a four-game set at T-Mobile Park. The Mariners have won the first two contests, 11-2 and 3-2, while Wednesday’s game has been excluded from the analysis. Seattle opens as a firm -220 moneyline fave with a total of 8.0 runs, so let’s take a closer look.
The Oakland Athletics fell to 10-40 on the season following Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat in Seattle, extending their losing streak to six games. The A’s have gone 2-14 over their previous 16 games overall, scoring three or fewer runs 13 times in that stretch.
Oakland is tallying just 3.60 runs per game in 2023 (28th in the majors). The Athletics rank 18th in home runs (53) and 12th in walks (165), but over the last couple of weeks, they are slashing a miserable .202/.274/.332 with 13 home runs and 16 extra-base hits across 431 at-bats.
Pitch it, kick it, flip it, bop it! pic.twitter.com/sujbIBY9ey
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 24, 2023
JP Sears will toe the rubber Thursday in Seattle. The 27-year-old left-hander is 0-3 with a 4.99 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 51/10 K/BB ratio in nine starts (48.2 innings pitched) in 2023. He’s pitched well over his previous two outings, tossing 5.1 innings of a three-run ball (two earned) in a no-decision against the Texas Rangers and six frames of a two-run ball in a no-decision versus the Houston Astros.
Sears meets the Mariners for the second time this season. Back on May 3, JP blanked Seattle over six innings, allowing four hits and a pair of walks while punching out seven. Still, the A’s eventually lost 7-2. Sears is 2-0 with a microscopic 0.41 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in three career starts and one relief appearance against the Mariners.