Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today’s game between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners.

The Yankees have one more game on the west coast before they’ll return to the Bronx for their home opener on Friday against the Marlins. However, this isn’t just some forgettable get-away day tilt. This might be one of the most exciting pitching matchups we see all week.

New York will send young stud Cam Schlittler to the mound on Wednesday afternoon. The Mariners will counter with George Kirby. Fireworks ensue. Well, probably a lack of fireworks. These two right-handers can really throw the baseball.

Who will take the rubber match of this series between AL titans? Let’s preview the game and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Yankees vs. Mariners prediction, preview

There were a lot of Yankees pitchers who left Oracle Park with an ERA of 0.00, but Schlittler’s performance might’ve been the most impressive. The sophomore RHP threw 5.1 scoreless innings against the Giants, striking out eight and allowing only a single baserunner — a second inning double to Heliot Ramos. That was it. Schlittler fanned 47.1% of the 17 batters he faced and his fastball velocity, which already sat in the 95th percentile of the league last season, ticked up to 98.4 mph. People were already excited about the 6’6, 25-year-old heading into 2026, and that showing did’t do anything to dampen that fever.

Schlittler should have a more difficult challenge this afternoon in the Mariners, though Seattle’s bats have gotten off to a bit of a slow start. In fact, the Mariners are hitting a paltry .205 as a team entering play on Wednesday with a 27.7% strikeout rate that does raise some concern. American League MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh is just 3-for-21 with 13 strikeouts, though he did drive in the game-winning run on Monday night. Meanwhile, Josh Naylor is only 1-for-23 in his first 26 plate appearances of the season, continuing the underwhelming form we saw from the 28-year-old for Canada at the World Baseball Classic. Naylor inked a five-year, $92.5 million extension with Seattle this offseason, and I don’t think this stretch is what either side had in mind from a production perspective. Julio Rodriguez is also 2-for-22, but it’s March. We all know Julio doesn’t start hitting until May at the absolute earliest.

With their big three bats scuffling, the Mariners have had to win games with a tried and tested strategy: Really, really good starting pitching. Fortunately, the 26-man roster remains filled with absolute studs on the mound, including the aforementioned Kirby. An early injury in 2025 sort of derailed Kirby’s last season, but 2026 got off on the right foot with a dominating outing against the Guardians. Kirby allowed a Chase DeLauter home run — one of many — yet that was pretty much it, as he ended his day with six one-run innings and six strikeouts. The former first-round pick might not rack up the strikeouts to the degree of some other AL Cy Young candidates, but Kirby does own a 3.27 FIP over 113 career starts. I’m willing to suggest that’s a large enough sample size to confirm his skill.

Yankees vs. Mariners pick, best bet

Best Bet: First 5 – Under 3.5 (-110)

Just a flat out endorsement of these two starting pitchers. Add in the always pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park and a struggling Mariners’ offense, and you’ve got yourself the recipe for a low-scoring affair.

Strong Lean: Cam Schlittler 7+ Strikeouts (+117)

Schlittler managed a 47.1% strikeout rate in his first start of the season. Meanwhile, Seattle is once again inside the top 10 in the league in strikeout rate (27.7%). I’ll be honest, I was expecting this prop to be set at eight.