Mariners-Astros ALDS Betting Preview

The American League Division Series between the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros starts Tuesday at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Seattle is the five-seed in the series, while Houston is one-seeded. Justin Verlander is expected to start for Houston, who finished the season as the AL West champions.

Houston has a strong team with a lot of depth at starting pitchers. Houston's starters have the best ERA in the American League (2.95). Houston is also one of the top offensive teams with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Jose Verlander. Seattle has exceeded expectations this season and won the Wild Card series over the Jays. Logan Gilbert will start on Tuesday. The team's starting pitching is 11th-best in MLB. Their bullpen has the sixth-lowest ERA and converted 73% of their save opportunities. Seattle's offense is led by Julio Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez.

The Mariners are in the postseason for the first time in 21 years. The Astros have been beaten by late-surging teams before.