Marcus Semien and the Oakland Athletics are set to do battle against their division rival Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in a Saturday night game. NBC Sports – California is in line to showcase the matchup and the first pitch will be at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros Odds
Las Vegas has Oakland (+140) as the underdog to Houston (-150). If you’re thinking this game’s total is going to finish below 9 runs, then Vegas is offering -110 odds to play the under. Taking the over will return -110 odds. There’s a runline of Athletics +1.5 (-155) and Astros -1.5 (+135) for this matchup.
The Athletics are 6-5 SU and are 5-5 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 2.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline in the season’s early going, despite having lost 0.2 units ATS. Oakland has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven. The Astros, on the other hand, are 3-5 SU and 1-6 ATS. The team’s lost 6.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.8 units ATS.
Astros games have a 1-6 over/under record so far in 2019. Athletics games have gone under six times, gone over four times and pushed on zero occasions.
Right-hander Aaron Brooks (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the start for the visiting Athletics. Brooks pitched sparingly last season, going 0-0 overall with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.
The Stros have tabbed lefty Wade Miley (0-1, 4.50 ERA) as their starter. Miley started 16 games last year and finished the season 5-2 overall with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.
Oakland’s pitching staff allowed 3.2 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 2.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 5.88 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.70, along with a K/9 of 9.58.
Athletics hitters have slashed .230/.305/.391 on their way to 3.9 runs scored per game this year, including over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Oakland’s offense has been sparked by shortstop Marcus Semien and third baseman Matt Chapman. Semien is slashing .325/.413/.450 with 13 hits, three RBIs and seven runs scored. Chapman (.297/.409/.595) has produced 11 hits, three homers, six RBIs and six runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, Houston’s pitching staff has yielded 3.0 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starters have an ERA of 3.09, a WHIP of 0.96 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.4. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 2.21, a WHIP of 0.84 and a K/9 of 12.4. In four divisional games, Astros starters have an ERA of 3.57 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.18.
Houston’s offense has put up 2.3 runs per outing, including 2.0 per game over its last five. The team has hit .239/.313/.346 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
George Springer and Jose Altuve have led the Astros’ batters this year. Springer is slashing .300/.371/.500 with nine hits, five RBIs and four runs scored, and Altuve’s line is .258/.303/.419 with eight hits, two RBIs and two runs.
The Athletics have gained 2.2 units and are 3-3 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in three of those games, compared to three that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Astros have lost 5.8 units and are 0-4 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in one of those games, as opposed to three that’ve gone under.
Athletics at Astros Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Athletics, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The Astros went 12-7 SU against the Athletics in 2018.
- The Athletics’ bullpen posted 3.94 ERA against the Astros last year.
- The Athletics have an OPS of .696 this season, including an OPS of .820 against left-handed pitchers. The Astros’ OPS sits at .680 overall and their left-right split is nearly identical.
