Charlie Cummings previews Saturday’s MLB matchup between the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels and provides his best pick.

This AL West matchup is a bit spicy after Friday’s game. The hate flowed early as Mariners starter Bryan Woo plunked Mike Trout in the first inning, leading to a whole bunch of bad blood throughout the game.

Bryan Woo’s first pitch to Mike Trout was up and in and near Mike Trout’s head. His second pitch to Trout drilled him up high. Interesting 👀

Mike Trout was not pleased one bit 👀 pic.twitter.com/r40A0U01Nn

— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) April 4, 2026

Now the grudge match continues on Saturday night to close our MLB slate.

First pitch is set for 9:38 p.m. ET. The Mariners are sturdy -158 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while an Angels upset is priced at +131. The game total is set at O/U 9.5 runs.

Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Mariners-Angels game.

Mariners vs. Angels Preview

First things first, let’s learn a bit more about these starting pitchers.

Emerson Hancock takes the mound for the Mariners. A former sixth overall pick, it has taken some time for Hancock to ramp up in the big leagues. He pitched 12 innings in his first MLB season, then ramped up to 60.2 innings the year after, and 90 in 2025. But the results haven’t been there; Hancock has a 4.81 ERA over those three seasons, giving up too many home runs and too many walks without striking out many batters. But he sure put it together in his first start of the season, allowing zero hits and striking out nine across six shutout frames against the Guardians.

Emerson Hancock shoved on Sunday:

6.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 1 BB | 9 K

FF and Sweeper usage jumped. The Sweeper (42% whiff) looks legit, a pitch he only used 3% of the time in 2025

Note: the Guards started 1 RHH, so what we saw might better reflect his 2026 mix against LHH pic.twitter.com/AUZonPXnNo

— Baseball Unstitched (@BaseUnstitched) March 31, 2026

Let’s see if he can put together another big start and build confidence in his abilities.

Opposite him is another young right-hander, Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz. The 6-foot-7 hurler debuted in 2024, posting a respectable 3.99 ERA over 65.1 innings. But the underlying numbers were not impressed with the sinker-baller; his 9th-percentile expected ERA and 2nd-percentile expected batting average pointed to significant regression. Turns out the underlying numbers were right, as he put up a ghastly 6.81 ERA over 23 starts in 2025. Kochanowicz didn’t inspire confidence in his first start, giving up six runs (five earned) over four innings on four hits and five walks against the Astros. Not what you want to see after that disaster 2025 season.

This Angels lineup is carried by two players: Zach Neto and Mike Trout. Neto has quietly been a star at shortstop, bringing power and speed to go with a great hit tool. Mike Trout is throwing it back to his peak years, drawing an absurd 11 walks in 37 plate appearances while socking two homers and stealing two bags. The rest of this lineup is uninspiring, to say the least.

Seattle has spent years building this lineup. Cal Raleigh broke out, and Julio Rodriguez continues to cook, and they’ve added Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor, and Brendan Donovan to help those two over the last couple of years. But all the talk at the moment is about Raleigh. After breaking every record for home runs by a catcher and a switch-hitter on his way to an MVP runner-up finish, he has come out of the gate freezing cold — striking out 16 times in 33 plate appearances with a .138 batting average and zero home runs. Getting Raleigh going again is the top priority for this Mariners lineup.

The gap in these bullpens has been evident in the early part of the season. Seattle has dependable live arms like Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, and Cooper Criswell, all strong arms for manager Dan Wilson to call upon. Los Angeles is largely dependent on veteran retreads like Joey Lucchesi, Brent Suter, Jordan Romano, and Drew Pomeranz to carry the pen. That has come with mixed results so far. This gap may show itself Saturday night after the starters leave the mound.

Now we know these teams a bit better. What is the best way to bet on this one?

Mariners vs. Angels Pick, Best Bet

I have a gut feeling these starters are going to have a hard time. Kochanowicz starts are like watching a humiliation ritual, and I think Hancock is closer to the pitcher we’ve seen in past seasons than the demon we saw against the Guardians on Sunday. Los Angeles’ pitching staff alone is capable of giving up this over, and I expect Hancock to contribute his fair share. This one should have some fireworks.

Best Bet: Over 9.5 Total Runs (-108)