The Oakland Athletics will head east to Minute Maid Park to face off against their divisional foe Houston Astros. The opening pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET and NBC Sports – California will showcase the matchup.
Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros Odds
Houston (-160) is the favorite over Oakland (+150) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this night game at eight runs. Odds for betting on the game’s total sit at -115 for the over and -105 for the under. Gamblers can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds sitting at -145 for the Athletics +1.5 runs and +125 for the Astros -1.5.
The Athletics have gone 13-12 SU this year and are 12-13 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 1.1 units for gamblers taking the moneyline through the early portions of the season, despite having lost 2.9 units ATS. The Astros, on the other hand, are 17-9 SU and 14-12 ATS. The team has lost 0.7 units for moneyline bettors while earning 0.0 units ATS.
Astros games have a 10-15-1 over/under record so far in 2018. The Athletics have an over/under record of 13-11-1.
Southpaw Sean Manaea is getting the start for the visiting Athletics. Manaea is 3-2 with a 1.23 ERA and 30 strikeouts. He has yet to face Houston this year, but he made four starts against the Astros in 2017, posting a 1-2 record against them with a 3.18 ERA and 19 strikeouts.
The Astros are turning to lefty Dallas Keuchel (1-3, 3.10 ERA), who has 25 punchouts and 12 walks to his credit as well as a WHIP of 1.38. Keuchel made four starts against the Athletics in 2017, putting together a 3-1 record with a 1.98 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
Oakland’s pitching staff allowed 4.7 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.58 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 7.58 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.77, along with a K/9 of 7.54.
Athletics hitters have slashed .267/.351/.444 on their way to 5.1 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Second baseman Jed Lowrie and third baseman Matt Chapman have led Oakland’s offense. Lowrie is hitting .352/.414/.600 with six home runs, 24 RBIs and 13 runs scored, while Chapman is hitting .269 with five homers, 14 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
Maintaining a slash line of .203/.301/.359 across 73 plate appearances, Lowrie did not do as well hitting against lefty pitching on the road in 2017 (compared to his total season line of .277/.360/.448).
For the home team, Houston’s pitching staff has allowed 2.7 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have a 2.31 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 2.68, a WHIP of 1.01 and a K/9 of 9.6. In 14 games against divisional foes, Astros starters have an ERA of 2.14 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.54.
The Houston hitters have put up 4.9 runs per contest, including 4.6 per game against divisional foes and 5.8 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .287/.387/.456 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Astros’ batters have been led by shortstop Carlos Correa and left fielder Josh Reddick. Correa is slashing .341/.406/.568 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and 19 runs scored, while Reddick’s line sits at .247/.360/.507 with six homers, 15 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .315/.391/.550, Correa enjoyed batting against lefty pitching in 2017, slashing .391/.457/.609 over 105 plate appearances.
The Athletics have lost 0.7 units and are 6-5 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in four of those games, compared to six that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Astros have netted 0.6 units and are 5-4 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over has cashed in four of those games, compared to five that’ve gone under.
Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Athletics, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has cashed in only two of Houston’s last seven games.
- Houston has recorded 25.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 25.4 over its last five.
- The Athletics have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games. The Astros have hit 13 over their last 10.
