The Oakland Athletics will square off against the Houston Astros at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. NBC Sports – California will showcase the matchup and the game is scheduled to get going at 10:05 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Odds
Oakland (+150) is the home-team underdog to Houston (-160) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this one at 8 runs. The odds for wagering on the games total sit at +100 for the over and -120 for the under. Gamblers can also wager on the games spread with the runline odds standing at Astros -1.5 runs (-110) and Athletics +1.5 runs (-110).
The Astros are 43-25 SU and are 36-31 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 1.4 units for moneyline gamblers and 3.5 units ATS. Houston is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Athletics, on the other hand, are 34-33 SU and 31-35 ATS. The team has gained 2.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline while gaining 5.0 units ATS. Oakland has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.
Oakland games have an over/under record of 29-33-4 so far in 2018. The Astros have been a decent under bet with a total record of 28-35-4.
Gerrit Cole will get the start for the visiting Astros. The right-handed Cole is 7-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 124 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with 21 strikeouts and a 2.84 ERA against Oakland this year.
The Athletics are putting the ball in the hands of righty Paul Blackburn (1-0, 1.50 ERA), who’s got three punchouts and zero walks to his credit, as well as a 0.50 WHIP. Blackburn hasn’t faced the Astros yet this year and did not record a start against them in 2017.
Oakland’s pitching staff has yielded 4.3 runs per game overall this season as a unit. Its starting pitching staff has a 4.17 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.47 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 8.3 K/9. In 32 divisional games, Athletics starters have an ERA of 5.34 and the bullpens ERA is 4.20.
Oakland’s hitters have put up 4.4 runs per contest, including 3.5 per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .238/.307/.381 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Athletics’ batters have been led by second baseman Jed Lowrie and shortstop Marcus Semien. Lowrie is hitting .280/.346/.459 with nine home runs, 42 RBIs and 26 runs scored, while Semien is batting .259 with five homers, 25 RBIs and 38 runs.
For the visiting squad, Houston’s pitchers have allowed 3.1 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 2.90 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 10.16 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 2.94, along with a WHIP of 1.04.
The Astros offense has slashed .261/.334/.427 on its way to 5.0 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.0 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.0 per game over the teams last five outings (5-0 SU).
Second baseman Jose Altuve and outfielder George Springer have paced Houston’s offense. Altuve is slashing .336/.381/.462 with five home runs, 34 RBIs, 40 runs and 10 stolen bases, while Springer is hitting .294/.368/.513 with 14 homers, 41 RBIs and 51 runs scored.
The Astros have gained 2.4 units and are 23-18 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in 16 of those games, as opposed to 22 that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Athletics have netted 7.5 units and are 21-23 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 21 of those games, compared to 21 that went under the total.
Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The Astros have hit 15 home runs in their last 10 games, including nine over their last five.
- Oakland has posted 23.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 18.6 over its last five.
