The Houston Astros are ready to do battle against their AL West foe Oakland Athletics in a Sunday matinee. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. ET and NBC Sports – California is in line to televise the matchup.
Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics Odds
Oakland (+115) is the home-team underdog against Houston (-125) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this one at 8 runs. Odds for wagering on the game’s total currently sit at -110 for both the over and the under. You can also bet on the game’s runline with the odds coming in at Astros -1.5 runs (+120) and Athletics +1.5 runs (-140).
The Athletics are 29-29 straight up (SU) and 27-30 against the spread (ATS). The team has lost 2.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.1 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. The Astros are 39-20 SU and have gone 32-26 ATS. In total, the team’s accumulated 5.6 units for moneyline gamblers and 5.4 units ATS. Houston is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.
Oakland games have an over/under record of 28-26-3 so far in 2019. Houston has been a decent under bet with a total record of 24-33-1.
Gerrit Cole will get the nod for Houston. The right-handed Cole (5-5, 4.02 ERA) has racked up 112 strikeouts in 71.2 innings so far. He has yet to face Oakland this year, but he did make five starts against the team in 2018, compiling a 3-0 record with a 3.52 ERA and 46 strikeouts.
The Athletics are sending righty Chris Bassitt (3-1, 3.27 ERA) to the mound. Bassitt has 47 strikeouts and 17 walks to his name, along with a 1.14 WHIP. Bassitt only made one start against the Astros in 2018 (1-0, 5.40 ERA across five innings).
Oakland’s pitching staff has yielded 4.4 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The team’s starters have a 4.20 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.12 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 26 games against AL West opponents, Athletics starters have an ERA of 4.87 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.42.
Oakland’s offense has put up 4.8 runs per contest, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 4.4 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .231/.289/.480 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
Right fielder Stephen Piscotty and shortstop Marcus Semien have led the Athletics’ hitters this year. Piscotty is slashing .275/.343/.436 with seven home runs, 26 RBIs and 28 runs scored, and Semien’s line is .259/.350/.409 with seven homers, 25 RBIs, 36 runs and five stolen bases.
In the visiting dugout, Houston’s pitchers have allowed 3.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.64 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.06 K/9. The bullpen has managed an outstanding ERA of just 2.87, along with a K/9 of 9.80.
The Astros offense has slashed .273/.351/.485 on its way to 5.1 runs scored per game in 2019, including 6.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Outfielders Michael Brantley and Josh Reddick have led Houston’s hitters. Brantley is hitting .333/.390/.543 with 10 home runs, 36 RBIs and 30 runs scored, while Reddick is slashing .314/.361/.454 with six homers, 19 RBIs and 26 runs scored.
The Astros have lost 0.1 units and are 21-18 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 17 of those games, compared to 21 that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Athletics have lost 9.7 units and are 17-23 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 20 of those games, compared to 18 that’ve gone under.
Astros vs. Athletics MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- Houston has logged 20 extra-base hits over its last five games. Oakland has 21 XBH over its last five.
- The Astros have an OPS of .836 this season and an OPS of .814 when facing right-handed pitchers. The Athletics’ OPS sits at .750 overall and .726 against righties.
- The Astros have won four of their last five games SU.
- Houston has posted 19.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.2 over its last five.
- The Astros have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games, including six over their last five.
