Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Free Preview

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Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros will head west to play their AL West rival Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. NBC Sports – California will televise the matchup and the game gets underway at 10:07 p.m. ET.

Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics Odds

Houston (-115) is favored over Oakland (+105) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs (-120 for the over and +100 for the under). This game currently has a runline of Astros -1.5 (+130) and Athletics +1.5 (-150).

The Astros have gone 37-20 SU this year and are 32-25 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 4.6 units for moneyline gamblers and 6.4 units ATS. Houston is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven. The Athletics, on the other hand, are 29-27 SU and 26-30 ATS. They’ve lost 1.4 units for moneyline bettors and 4.1 units ATS. Oakland has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.

Oakland games have an over/under record of 28-25-3 so far in 2019. Astros games have gone under 32 times, gone over 24 times and pushed on one occasion.

Brad Peacock will get the start for the visiting Astros. The right-handed Peacock is 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 58 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with three strikeouts and a 7.50 ERA against Oakland this year.

The Athletics are putting the ball in the hands of righty Mike Fiers (4-3, 5.00 ERA), who has 44 strikeouts and 19 walks as well as a 1.17 WHIP. Fiers is 0-0 with two strikeouts and a 32.40 ERA in one start against Houston this year.

Houston’s pitchers have allowed 3.6 runs per game and its starters own a 3.72 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.18 K/9. The bullpen has managed a solid ERA of just 2.93, along with a K/9 of 9.93.

The Astros offense has slashed .274/.353/.486 on its way to 5.2 runs scored per game in 2019, including 6.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).

Outfielders Michael Brantley and George Springer continue to lead Houston’s offense. Brantley is slashing .330/.386/.547 with 10 home runs, 36 RBIs and 30 runs scored, while Springer (.308/.389/.643) has produced 17 homers, 43 RBIs and 41 runs scored.

In the home-team dugout, Oakland’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game overall in 2019. The team’s starters have an ERA of 4.22, a WHIP of 1.27 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.2. The bullpen has a 4.11 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 9.1 K/9. In 24 games against divisional opponents, Athletics starters have an ERA of 4.99 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.41.

Oakland’s hitters are putting up 5.0 runs per outing, including 5.0 per game against divisional foes and 6.4 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .270/.324/.552 over its last five matchups and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.

Shortstop Marcus Semien and right fielder Stephen Piscotty have led the Athletics’ hitters this year. Semien is hitting .267/.359/.422 with seven home runs, 25 RBIs, 36 runs and five stolen bases, and Piscotty’s line is .276/.346/.429 with six homers, 25 RBIs and 27 runs.

The Astros have lost 1.1 units and are 21-17 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 17 of those games, as opposed to 20 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Athletics have lost 8.7 units and are 16-23 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 20 of those games, compared to 17 that went under.

Astros at Athletics Free Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Athletics, ATS Winner – Athletics, O/U – OVER

Betting Trends

  • The over has cashed in four of Oakland’s last seven games.
  • Houston has recorded 19.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 21.0 over its last five.
  • The Astros have hit seven home runs in their last 10 games. The Athletics have hit 24 over their last 10.
  • The Astros have a total OPS of .839 this season and an OPS of .817 against right-handed pitchers. The Athletics’ OPS stands at .757 overall and .734 against righties.