Mariners vs. Blue Jays: Picks, predictions, how to watch Monday’s game

The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays square off on Monday with first pitch set for 7:07 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. The Mariners will start with Chris Flexen on the mound, and Yusei Kikuchi will begin on the mound for the Blue Jays.

Seattle (16-19) took two of three games against the New York Mets over the weekend. Flexen will make his seventh start of the season and will enter with a 4.24 ERA, though he is coming off his worst outing of 2022, giving up six runs on nine hits over 5.0 innings of work in a 9-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Ty France and JP Crawford have formed a fantastic duo for the Mariners this season, putting up big numbers at the plate.

Toronto (18-17) lost twice in a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend. Kikuchi started six games this season and will go into Monday’s game with a 4.15 ERA, coming off an outing where he allowed 2 runs over 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts against the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays rank No. 22 in runs per game, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer both lead the team with seven home runs.

Mariners vs. Blue Jays

Pitchers: Chris Flexen vs. Yusei Kikuchi
First pitch: 7:07 p.m. ET
Mariners local broadcast: Root Sports Northwest
Blue Jays local broadcast: Sportsnet
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: Blue Jays -165, Mariners +145

Picks & predictions

Moneyline pick: Mariners +145

Flexen has gotten off to a strong start to the 2022 season with just one bad outing over his first six starts and in 31 starts last year, he had 3.61 ERA, so he should keep the Mariners within striking distance through the middle innings. Seattle is worth the risk at this price.

Player prop pick: Yusei Kikuchi O4.5 strikeouts (-150)

Kikuchi has been a solid strikeout pitcher throughout his career, and he should get to 5 K’s on Monday night. He will go up against a Mariners lineup that ranks in the middle of the pack in strikeouts per game, but Kikuchi is throwing well right now, striking out 7 batters in each of his last two starts.

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