Labeling it his ‘best bet,’ Drew Martin laid the –130 with Seattle. He emphasized Kansas City’s 1-7 slide and bottom-tier offense, then contrasted Emerson Hancock’s splits: the 26-year-old fireballer dominated lesser lineups, including seven shutout innings against Cleveland his last home start, while getting roughed up only by power clubs like the Cubs, Yankees and Tigers. Martin expects similar success versus a Royals lineup that ranks near the league’s bottom in OPS, wOBA and ISO. Mike Lorenzen enters 4-8 with a 5.00 ERA/5.00 FIP, giving Seattle a clear starting-pitching edge. Martin believes that, combined with home-field advantage, makes the Mariners the right side.

Bettor Mark said he would only play the over in Mariners-A’s because Emerson Hancock continues to profile as a fade. Hancock has allowed a .303 opponents’ batting average and 46% hard-hit rate while averaging barely 8% swinging-strikes—numbers that point to at least three earned runs in his typical 90-100 pitch workload. Mark added that Oakland’s lineup—"Vegas, Sacramento, whatever you want to call them"—is starting to string together quality ABs, ranking top-12 in isolated power this month. Although he ultimately passed, he told viewers an over nine at –105 would be his preferred angle given Hancock’s contact-heavy profile and two bullpens that used multiple high-leverage arms Monday.

Kenny G went back to the well on the total, recommending Under 9.5 in Mariners-A’s. He expects Emerson Hancock’s recent improvement (three straight starts of three earned or fewer) coupled with a quietly competent 3.66 Seattle bullpen to keep Oakland in check. On the other side, Jeffrey Spriggs owns a 4.98 ERA but is coming off his best outing of the year—6 IP, 9 K, 0 ER against Texas—and already blanked these Mariners for six innings on March 28. Oakland’s bats remain bottom-tier, while Seattle’s surprise top-10 offense has still cashed just 19 overs in 33 games, suggesting regression. T-Mobile Park form also favors the under: the A’s are 16-15-4 to the under overall and 6-9 to the under at home. With neither lineup profiling as explosive and both pens usable, Kenny projects a 5-3 type game and says the current 9.5 is at least a half-run too high.

Bryan Zarpentine backed Emerson Hancock to stay Under 2.5 earned runs at -160 on bet365. He reminded readers that Hancock’s ugly 7.71 ERA is skewed by a disastrous first start (six runs without finishing the first inning). In two outings since, the rookie has settled in for exactly two runs on five hits each time, showing the command that made him a top prospect. The matchup is even sweeter: the Angels have dropped six of their last seven, averaging just two runs during that stretch and getting blanked twice. Virtually no Los Angeles hitter has faced Hancock before, giving the right-hander an extra layer of deception. Zarpentine projected five to six competitive innings and minimal damage, making the ER under his favorite play in the matinee at T-Mobile Park.

Chris Welsh told listeners that Emerson Hancock is the clear next man up for Seattle after Logan Gilbert hit the IL with a flexor-strain. Welsh stressed that Hancock flashed a six-pitch arsenal in his recent spot start, kept hitters from pulling the ball, and lived off weak contact even though the strikeout totals were modest and the walks a tad high. Because the Mariners are built around pitching and have little depth behind Hancock, Welsh expects him to stick in the rotation "for a while." In 12- and 15-team season-long leagues Welsh labeled Hancock "the best high-end option" on waivers right now and advised managers in shallower formats to at least stream him whenever match-ups line up.

DraftCheat advises caution around starting pitcher Emerson Hancock on today's slate after a disastrous last outing where he allowed six earned runs without getting through a single inning. Hancock's struggles came against Detroit in Seattle, making it particularly alarming due to the favorable matchup and home stadium. Hancock isn't being called up based on merit but rather due to rotation necessity after Bryan Woo's injury, making him a clear target to stack against with the Reds bats today.