The Houston Astros will take on their division rival Oakland Athletics in a Saturday showdown. The matchup is going to be televised nationally on Fox Sports One and the opening pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Odds
The Astros have gone 78-45 SU this year and are 65-57 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle very much this year, gaining 1.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 0.5 units ATS. Houston has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Athletics, on the other hand, are 70-52 SU and 65-56 ATS. They’ve gained 13.1 units for moneyline bettors and 7.6 units ATS. Oakland has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven.
Athletics games have an over/under record of 56-61-4 in 2019. Houston has been a decent under bet with a total record of 55-64-3.
Rogelio Armenteros will get the nod for the visiting Astros. The right-handed Armenteros is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 15 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Athletics this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Athletics are turning to righty Chris Bassitt (8-5, 3.56 ERA), who’s got 108 strikeouts and 41 walks, in addition to a 1.18 WHIP. Bassitt is 0-1 with eight strikeouts and a 5.25 ERA over two starts against Houston this year.
Oakland’s pitching staff has allowed 4.3 runs per game overall in 2019 as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 4.03, a WHIP of 1.23 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 6.9. The bullpen has a 4.05 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.9 K/9. In 55 divisional games, Athletics starters have an ERA of 4.96 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.19.
Oakland’s offense has put up 5.0 runs per contest, including 5.0 per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .239/.279/.489 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Athletics’ batters have been led by shortstop Marcus Semien and third baseman Matt Chapman. Semien is hitting .271/.357/.474 with 20 home runs, 57 RBIs and 88 runs scored, and Chapman’s line sits at .259/.342/.531 with 29 homers, 69 RBIs and 79 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Houston’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.31 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.77, along with a WHIP of 1.10.
The Astros offense has slashed .274/.353/.487 on its way to 5.5 runs scored per game in 2019, including 6.0 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Houston’s hitters have been led by left fielder Michael Brantley and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Brantley is hitting .332/.389/.542 with 18 home runs, 74 RBIs and 74 runs scored, while Gurriel is slashing .305/.343/.551 with 25 homers, 85 RBIs and 69 runs scored.
The Astros have lost 9.0 units and are 47-42 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 42 of those games, compared to 45 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Athletics have netted 2.0 units and are 46-44 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 41 of those games, as opposed to 47 that’ve cashed the under.
Astros vs. Athletics MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Athletics, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has cashed in three of Houston’s last seven games.
- The Astros have a total OPS of .840 this season and an OPS of .811 against right-handed pitchers. The Athletics’ OPS sits at .764 overall and .745 against righties.
- The Astros have lost five of their last six games SU.
- Houston has posted 30.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 22.4 over its last five.
- The Astros have hit 23 home runs in their last 10 games. The Athletics have hit 20 over their last 10.
