🇺🇸 From NYC to SD: Four Teams, One Goal—Momentum Before the Break

With the All-Star break fast approaching, tonight’s matchups carry extra weight for four teams with postseason hopes. The New York Yankees are trending down, the Seattle Mariners are climbing, and both the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres are hovering around .500—desperate for a push. None of them currently lead their divisions, but each believes they could. Every game matters now, with the playoffs starting to shimmer just over the summer horizon.

📺 Today's TV Games

  • âš¾ Seattle Mariners @ New York Yankees – MLB Network
  • âš¾ Arizona Diamondbacks @ San Diego Padres – MLB Network

🎯 Pick’em 10 (7:05pm ET/4:05pm PT)

âš¾ Seattle @ NY Yankees

This slate is all about the bats, but that does not mean we ignore the arms. Bryan Woo has emerged as Seattle’s ace, averaging over a strikeout per inning with a 2.89 ERA over his last seven starts. However, Aaron Judge is 3-for-8 with 4 RBIs off him, and Cody Bellinger has a double in three plate appearances. Anthony Volpe, meanwhile, is 0-for-6.  As a team, the Yankees are hitting .309 with a .943 OPS over the past week

On the other side, Marcus Stroman has struggled since returning from the IL, giving up a homer per outing and striking out less than one batter per inning. The big question: will he look like the Stroman who barely eked out a no decision against the Mets last Saturday or the one who’s kept Cal Raleigh hitless across seven ABs?

Only Dominic Canzone has a positive (though limited) history vs. Stroman, going 1-for-3. Randy Arozarena is 3-for-14 with a homer. Offensively, the Mariners have hit a rough patch, batting just .223 over the past week—well below their season average of .247.

  1. Dominic Canzone – Over/Under 1.5 hits+runs+RBIs
  2. Cal Raleigh – Over/Under 0.5 RBIs
  3. Randy Arozarena – Over/Under 0.5 runs
  4. Cody Bellinger – Over/Under 1.5 hits+runs+RBIs
  5. Aaron Judge – Over/Under 0.5 walks
  6. Anthony Volpe – Over/Under 0.5 hits

âš¾ Arizona @ San Diego

Both teams enter tonight playing .500 ball over their last 20 games. However, Arizona’s pitching staff has dominated this mini-series. In the last three games, DBacks starters have combined for 21 innings pitched, 13 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, and 17 strikeouts—good for a 1.29 ERA and 0.67 WHIP (h/t Jesse Friedman).

Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth haven’t faced tonight’s DBacks starter Eduardo Rodríguez, and Merrill is hitless in his last four games. That said, he’s performed better against lefties this year, posting a .284 AVG and .789 OPS. Cronenworth hasn’t struck out in his last four games, though Rodríguez is averaging 6.4 Ks over his last five starts.

On the Arizona side, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Ketel Marte haven’t solved Padres pitcher Randy Vásquez, posting .472 and .347 OPS respectively in nine combined at-bats.  Widening the lens to prior games does not build a case for them to get hits tonight: they have a combined 4 for 23 this series.

  1. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – Over/Under 1.5 hits+runs+RBIs
  2. Ketel Marte – Over/Under 0.5 runs
  3. Jackson Merrill – Over/Under 1.5 hits+runs+RBIs
  4. Jake Cronenworth – Over/Under 0.5 strikeouts