Cubbies Can Take Down Mariners Saturday Night

Cubs vs. Mariners, 9:40 ET

When I was younger, I lived on the South Side of Chicago and grew up around people that were White Sox fans and would always make fun of me for liking the Cubs. Like a lot of things in life, it was because my mom influenced me to like them. That's who she rooted for growing up, so her son was going to do the same. Around the time I got into baseball we had Ken Griffey Jr. and a young Alex Rodriguez also making a big impact in the American League. Then Ichiro came along. I went to Seattle to visit my uncle and the Mariners became my American League team. Tonight the two clubs that instilled a love of baseball into me square off and I am going to pour in my love of sports betting for a pick. 

The Cubs are off to a decent enough start to the year, and I hate to predict this, but this is probably as good as the team will get. They will be somewhere around .500, likely in a Wild Card race down to the end of the season. The team was supposed to go out and spend money this offseason, and supposedly they did try and get Shohei Ohtani (so did every club). That obviously didn't work out so now they are back to the drawing board. They resigned Cody Bellinger which is a nice addition, but the team needs a bit more. They even let Marcus Stroman walk, and he ended up signing a very reasonable contract with the Yankees. So far, that has worked out as they essentially replaced him with Shota Imanaga, the starter for tonight. The lefty has baffled hitters to this point in the season and has only allowed four hits in 10 innings pitched. He also has yet to allow a walk. I have to imagine this is the pitcher the Dodgers thought they were getting. Will Imanaga be this good all year? Of course not. Teams will start to figure him out, but it is an encouraging start. 

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 08: Julio Rodriguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners makes a catch for an out during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at T-Mobile Park on August 08, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

The Mariners made the postseason two years ago, and last season was a back-and-forth battle. The second half of the season saw them become one of the hottest teams in baseball and catapult them back into the race. Ultimately, it wasn't enough, and they ended in the same spot that the Cubs did. So far, the team is struggling to start the year and their hitting is mostly to blame. They have a .207 batting average and low slugging and on-base percentages. The pitching hasn't been that much better as they've got a 4.84 ERA and 1.30 WHIP to start the year. It could just be a slow start to the season, but they probably need to find some consistency soon. The Rangers and Astros could jump to a big lead and it will be hard to catch either, or both, of them. Tonight, they have Emerson Hancock taking the hill. It has been a rough start for Hancock this season, he's allowed 15 hits and three home runs over 8.2 innings to start the year. It is a bit encouraging for tonight that his good start was 5.1 innings of four hits and three earned runs was at home. Maybe he can replicate that success on his home mound. 

I think the Cubs are going to win this game. I like the way Imanaga has been throwing the ball and even with this being his first road start, I think he easing him into the big leagues with the two home starts has been a good way to get him more comfortable. Sure, everything could hit the fan today and he could be rocked, but I like the Cubs team and the way they are playing more than the Mariners as well. I'll take the Cubs to win this.