The Oakland Athletics will head east to face their AL West foe Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The action will begin at 8:10 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to NBC Sports – California to catch the game.
Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros Odds
Oddsmakers have listed Oakland (+155) as the underdog to Houston (-165). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at +100 for over 9.5 runs and -120 for under 9.5. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the runline odds coming in at Athletics +1.5 runs (-140) and Astros -1.5 runs (+120).
The Athletics have gone 84-59 SU this year and are 79-63 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 17.8 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 14.7 units ATS. The Astros, on the other hand, are 94-50 SU and 76-67 ATS. They’ve gained 3.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 2.0 units ATS.
Houston games have an over/under record of 64-74-5 in 2019. The Athletics have also been a decent under bet with a total record of 65-72-5.
The right-handed Mike Fiers will get the start for Oakland. Fiers is 14-3 with a 3.51 ERA and 115 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with 11 strikeouts and a 6.14 ERA against Houston this year (four starts).
The Astros are putting the ball in the hands of righty Zack Greinke (14-5, 3.09 ERA), who has 162 strikeouts and 29 walks, along with a 1.02 WHIP. Greinke is 1-0 with six strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA in one start against Oakland this year.
Houston’s pitchers have given up 4.0 runs per game overall this year as a unit. The team’s starters have an ERA of 3.68, a WHIP of 1.10 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.5. The bullpen has a 3.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 9.7 K/9. In 61 games against divisional opponents, Astros starters have an ERA of 3.74 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.10.
Houston’s offense has put up 5.7 runs per outing, including 6.3 per game against divisional foes and 8.6 per game over its last five. The team has hit .292/.379/.541 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that span.
The Astros’ offense has been led by left fielder Michael Brantley and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Brantley is hitting .321/.381/.518 with 20 home runs, 84 RBIs and 84 runs scored, while Gurriel’s line is .304/.349/.547 with 27 homers, 98 RBIs and 78 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Oakland’s pitching staff allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starters own a 3.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 7.00 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.07, along with a WHIP of 1.24 and a K/9 of 9.24.
Athletics hitters have slashed .249/.328/.447 on their way to 5.2 runs scored per game this year, including 5.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Shortstop Marcus Semien and third baseman Matt Chapman continue to lead Oakland’s offense. Semien is hitting .276/.360/.497 with 26 home runs, 77 RBIs and 105 runs scored. Chapman (.254/.347/.520) has produced 32 homers, 80 RBIs and 91 runs scored.
The Athletics have gained 3.9 units and are 55-49 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 48 of those games, as opposed to 53 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Astros have lost 8.2 units and are 54-49 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 49 of those games, as opposed to 51 which went under the total.
Athletics at Astros MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Athletics, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has cashed in three of Oakland’s last seven contests.
- The Athletics have a team OPS of .775 this season and an OPS of .771 against right-handed pitchers. The Astros’ OPS stands at .845 overall and .820 versus righties.
- The Athletics have won five of their last six games SU while the Astros have won six of their last seven.
- Houston has recorded 25.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 30.2 over its last five.
- The Athletics have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.
