Michael Brantley and the slumping Houston Astros will be taking on their division rival Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in a Sunday showdown. NBC Sports – California will televise the matchup and the game gets going at 4:07 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Odds
Las Vegas has Houston (-170) as the favorite over Oakland (+160). You can play game’s total with current odds listed at even money (+100) for over 9.5 runs and -120 for under 9.5. There’s a runline of Astros -1.5 (-120) and Athletics +1.5 (+100) for this matchup.
The Astros have gone 78-46 SU this year and are 65-58 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle very much this year, gaining 0.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline, despite having lost 0.8 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 71-52 SU and 66-56 ATS. They’ve gained 14.8 units for moneyline bettors and 8.7 units ATS. Oakland has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.
Oakland games have had an over/under record of 56-62-4 in 2019. Houston has also been a decent under bet with a total record of 55-65-3.
Zack Greinke is getting the start for Houston. The right-handed Greinke is 12-4 with a 2.91 ERA and 143 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Athletics this year and only made one start against them in 2018 (0-1, 3.00 ERA and five strikeouts over six innings).
The Athletics are turning to lefty Brett Anderson (10-8, 3.95 ERA), who has 71 strikeouts and 36 walks as well as a WHIP of 1.26. Anderson is 0-1 with two strikeouts and a 5.06 ERA in one start against Houston this year.
Houston’s pitching staff allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starters own a 3.74 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.29 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.80, along with a K-per-9 of 9.73.
Astros hitters have slashed .274/.352/.487 on their way to 5.5 runs scored per game this season, including 6.0 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (0-5 SU).
Houston’s offense has been sparked by outfielder Michael Brantley and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Brantley is hitting .333/.390/.542 with 18 home runs, 74 RBIs and 75 runs scored, while Gurriel (.305/.342/.548) has produced 25 homers, 85 RBIs and 69 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Oakland’s pitchers have yielded 4.3 runs per game overall this year. The club’s starters have an ERA of 4.03, a WHIP of 1.24 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 6.9. The bullpen has a 4.05 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 8.9 K/9. In 56 divisional games, Athletics starters have an ERA of 4.95 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.17.
The Oakland hitters have put up 5.1 runs per contest, including 5.1 per game against divisional foes and 5.8 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .271/.316/.508 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
Shortstop Marcus Semien and third baseman Matt Chapman have led the Athletics’ hitters this year. Semien is hitting .270/.356/.471 with 20 home runs, 57 RBIs and 89 runs scored, and Chapman’s line is .264/.348/.539 with 29 homers, 70 RBIs and 81 runs.
The Astros have gained 10.9 units and are 18-15 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 13 of those games, compared to 19 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Athletics have netted 3.7 units and are 47-44 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 41 of those games, compared to 48 that’ve gone under.
Astros vs. Athletics Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in four of Houston’s last seven contests.
- The Astros have lost six of their last seven games SU.
- Houston has posted 29.5 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 22.4 over its last five.
- The Astros have hit 21 home runs in their last 10 games. The Athletics have hit 17 over their last 10.
- The Astros have a team OPS of .840 this season and an OPS of .893 against left-handed pitchers. The Athletics’ OPS sits at .766 overall and .818 against southpaws.
