Houston Astros vs Miami Marlins Preview
Thursday’s interleague matchup between the Marlins and Astros is set for 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston. Miami is 32-60 this season, putting them 5th in the NL East, while the Astros are 2nd in the AL West with an overall record of 48-44.
BSFL will be televising this game, and the Astros are the heavy favorite, with their money line odds sitting at -199. The Marlins have lost two straight, while the Astros have won two in a row. Jake Bloss is starting for the Astros, and the Marlins are sending Roddery Munoz to the mound.
Check out BetCoco for Houston Astros – Miami Marlins odds
Houston Astros Trends and Key Stats
- The Marlins are 1-4 across their last five road games. They have gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- Conversely, the Astros have achieved a 3-2 (SU) record and 4-1 record in their last five home games.
- Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Astros have won 8-2 straight-up, and have a 7-3 record vs. the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Marlins have won 3-7 of their previous ten games straight-up, while going 6-4 against the runline.
Houston cruised to a 9-1 win over the Marlins in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 2nd inning, scoring four of their nine runs. As for the Marlins, they scored their only run in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -227 on the money line.
Framber Valdez pitched well for the Astros in this one, going seven innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with 10 strikeouts but issued one walk. On the other side, Bryan Hoeing got the start for the Marlins, going just three innings and giving up four runs.
Joey Loperfido and Yainer Diaz each had two hits and three RBIs for the Astros’ offense. Alex Bregman also had a two-hit game and drove in a run. As for the Marlins, Xavier Edwards went 2/3 with an RBI.
Houston Astros vs Miami Marlins Prediction
Miami will be on the road for today’s matchup vs. the Astros, and they are looking to snap a two-game losing streak, which has them at 32-60 this season. In the NL East, they are in 5th place and trail the Phillies by 28 games. So far, they have gone just 7-19 in divisional games.
At home, the Marlins are 18-31 and 14-29 on the road. This season, the Marlins are just 4-13 as the favorite compared to 28-47 as the underdog. Miami’s overall series record is 8-19-2, and they are currently down 0-2 in this series vs. the Astros.
The Marlins are 41-51 against the run line this season, but they are 22-21 on the road. Miami’s average run differential is -1.6 runs per game, and they have been outscored by an average of 1.3 runs per game on the road. The Marlins are 39-36 against the run line as an underdog, but just 2-15 as the favorite.
The Miami Marlins are on the road today to face the Houston Astros. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which matches their combined run average for the season. Miami has played 90 games this season, and 48 of them have gone over the total. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, the Marlins are 15-15 in those games. The over/under line for their games has averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Miami is sending Roddery Muñoz to the mound today vs. the Astros, and he has made eight starts this year. Muñoz’s record for the season is 1-3, and his ERA is 5.48. So far, he has made two quality starts and is coming off an outing where he pitched out of the bullpen. In that appearance, he went four innings and gave up two earned runs, four hits, and two walks. He didn’t give up a homer in that outing. Looking back over his last four starts, Muñoz has given up at least two homers in three of them.
So far this season, the Marlins are averaging just 3.5 runs per game, which is the 29th best mark in the league. They have been even worse on the road, averaging only 2.9 runs per game. As a team, the Marlins are batting just .230, and their on-base percentage of .281 is the worst in the MLB. Miami also has the worst team OPS in the league.
Bryan De La Cruz has been the Marlins’ top power threat this season, as his 15 homers is 13th best in the league. He is also leading the team with 43 RBIs. Over his last five games, Jesús Sánchez has two homers and is batting .250. Xavier Edwards is batting .364 over his last six games.
Houston is 48-44 overall and trails the Mariners by two games in the AL West. The Astros have won two straight games, and they are 7-3 across their last 10 games, which is the best mark in the AL West. So far, they have gone 15-12 in divisional games.
At home, the Astros are 26-19 this season and 22-25 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 36-32 and 12-12 as the underdog. Houston has an overall series record of 16-12-1 this year, and they have won eight straight games at home.
When the Astros win, they do so by an average of 4.0 runs per game, and they have a run line record of 47-45 overall. They are 23-22 against the run line at home and 24-23 on the road. As the favorite, they are 32-36 against the run line, and as the underdog, they are 15-9.
When the Astros play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Houston’s games have averaged 9.1 runs per game, and their over/under record is 36-52. The average over/under line for their games is set at 9 runs. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 10-17. So far this season, 35.9% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
Jake Bloss will be making his second start of the season for the Astros, and he will be at home against the Marlins. In his first start of the year, Bloss went 3 2/3 innings and struck out 6, giving up 2 earned runs and 1 home run.
The Astros come into today’s game as the league’s top hitting team, with a batting average of .264. They are also the top team in the league in terms of fewest strikeouts per game, while also having the best team on-base percentage in the MLB. Houston’s offense is averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 10th in the league.
Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have been the Astros’ top home run threats this season, with both players having 19 homers. Alvarez’s 51 RBIs are the best mark on the team, while Tucker is 5th on the team with 40 RBIs. Jose Altuve is batting .309 for the season and has the team’s 2nd most homers (13) and is on an 8 game hitting streak.
Our predicted final score for today’s Marlins vs. Astros matchup is 6-4 in favor of the Astros. However, with the Astros being such heavy favorites on the money line, we recommend taking the over at 8.5 runs. The payout for the over is -117, and we have this game going over by two and a half runs.
Looking at some of the starting pitcher projections, Jake Bloss is predicted to finish with six strikeouts compared to Roddery Muñoz with four. Bloss is also projected to give up fewer earned runs than Muñoz, and his team, the Astros, are predicted to finish with the second-most home runs in the league today.
Houston Astros vs Miami Marlins Betting Tips
- Take the Astros on the moneyline
- The Astros should also cover at -1.5
- Projecting a combined 10 runs, we like the over
Houston Astros Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Verlander | Out | Neck |
| Kendall Graveman | Out | Shoulder |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | Out | Forearm |
| Victor Caratini | Out | Hip Flexor |
| Kyle Tucker | Out | Shin |
| Yordan Alvarez | Questionable | Hip |
| Cristian Javier | Out | Elbow |
| Luis Garcia | Out | Elbow |
| Bennett Sousa | Out | Shoulder |
| José Urquidy | Out | Elbow |
| Penn Murfee | Out | Elbow |
| Oliver Ortega | Out | Elbow |
| Jake Bloss | Probable | Shoulder |
Miami Marlins Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy Alcantara | Out | Elbow |
| Braxton Garrett | Out | Elbow |
| Jesús Luzardo | Out | Back |
| Sixto Sánchez | Out | Shoulder |
| Ryan Weathers | Out | Finger |
| Otto Lopez | Out | Back |
| Eury Pérez | Out | Elbow |
| Josh Simpson | Out | Elbow |
