Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Preview
The over/under line for Thursday’s Athletics vs. Astros game is at 8 runs, and the Astros are heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -245 compared to the Athletics at +204. This AL West matchup is set for 2:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston, and the Astros are 1st in the division, while the Athletics are 4th.
Thursday’s starting pitching matchup features Mitch Spence for the Athletics and Framber Valdez for the Astros. Oakland is 64-82 overall, and they are currently on a 2 game winning streak. Valdez has a 4.57 ERA this season.
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Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Trends and Key Stats
- The Athletics are 3-2 in their five most recent road games, including a 4-1 runline record.
- On the opposing side, the Astros have a 1-4 (SU) record, along with a 1-4 record in their last five home contests.
- Over their last ten games as the favorite, the Astros have a straight-up record of 4-6, while going 4-6 against the runline.
- The Athletics have a 5-5 straight-up record and a 6-4 record vs. the runline over their previous ten games as the underdog.
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this A’s vs Astros series. Oakland went into the matchup as +199 underdogs and squeaked out a 5-4 win. The A’s had a three-run 6th inning, and the Astros could only muster one run in the 8th inning.
Hunter Brown got the start for the Astros, going just five innings while giving up five runs and took the loss. Joey Estes put together a good outing for the A’s, getting the win after going 6 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs.
Kyle McCann and Brent Rooker each homered for the A’s, while Max Schuemann scored twice and drove in two runs while going 2/3. Alex Bregman had a two-hit game for the Astros.
Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Prediction
The Athletics are 64-82 overall, putting them 4th in the AL West, and they trail the Astros by 13.5 games in the division. So far, they have gone 21-24 against other teams in the AL West. Oakland has picked up two straight wins, and they are 5-5 across their last 10 games.
As the road team today, the Athletics are 28-43 this season. They have been slightly better at home, going 36-39. Oakland has been the underdog in most of their games, as their record is 53-77 in those matchups. As for their record as the favorite, they are 11-5 this year. The team’s overall series record is 17-23-5.
When the Athletics are on the road, they are 40-31 against the run line this season, including covering in their last two games. They are 75-55 against the run line as underdogs, but just 6-10 as favorites. Their average run differential on the road is -0.8 runs per game.
The Oakland Athletics are on the road to face the Houston Astros today, with the over/under line set at 8 runs. The combined run average in Athletics games this season is 8.8 runs, and their over/under record is 68-76. The average over/under line in their games is 8 runs, and their record when the line is set at 8 runs is 17-16-1. In 50.0% of their games, the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, while it has been set lower in 26.7% of their games.
Mitch Spence gets the start for the Athletics today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 4.42. Spence’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.37. The right-hander has made three quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up just one earned run in 4 1/3 innings of work. In that outing, he finished with a no-decision. Spence has not taken a loss since August 21st.
As a team, the Athletics are batting just .234 this season, which is 18th in the league. However, they do have the 5th most home runs in the league and are averaging 4.1 runs per game. Brent Rooker has been a big part of their lineup, as he is batting .299 this season with a team-high 35 homers and 101 RBIs, which is 5th best in the MLB.
Over his last five games, Zack Gelof is batting .333 with one home run. He also has a seven-game hitting streak coming into the game. Kyle McCann has also been swinging the bat well for the Athletics, going 2/5 in his last two games with a home run.
The Astros are hoping to avoid dropping their fourth straight game today, as they have lost the first two games of their series vs. the Athletics. Currently, the Astros lead the AL West by 3.5 games over the Mariners, with an overall record of 77-68. In the AL West, they have gone 21-20 this season.
At home, the Astros are 41-32 this season, and they are right at .500 at 36-36 on the road. This year, the Astros are 59-49 as the favorite, and they are 18-19 as the underdog. Houston’s overall series record is 24-19-2, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
The Astros have been a solid run-line bet this season, going 73-72 overall. They have been better on the road, going 39-33, compared to 34-39 at home. They have been a profitable run-line bet as an underdog, going 25-12, but have struggled when favored, going just 48-60. Their average run margin is +0.6 runs per game.
When the Astros are at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs, which is lower than their combined run average of 8.6 runs per game. Overall, the over/under record for Houston games this season is 59-81, and the average over/under line for their games is set at 9 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 12-13-2. This season, 60.7% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while 20.7% have had lower lines.
Framber Valdez has been tough to hit this season, coming into the game with a record of 14-6 and an ERA of 2.98. Looking at his home/away splits, he has been slightly better at home, going 8-2 with a 2.96 ERA compared to 6-4 with a 3.98 ERA on the road. Valdez has made 25 starts this season, and opponents are batting .216 off the left-hander. In his 25 appearances, he has turned in 15 quality starts and is averaging 8.75 strikeouts per nine innings. Valdez’s most recent outing was a gem, as he went seven innings vs. the Diamondbacks, giving up no runs and picking up the win.
Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros’ top hitter so far this season, batting .313 with 32 home runs and 80 RBIs. He is also on a four-game hitting streak coming into today’s game. Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz are also having good seasons, with Altuve batting .302 and Diaz hitting .298. Altuve has gone 14/36 in his last nine games, including one home run.
As a team, the Astros are 3rd in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. Overall, they are 9th in home runs and have the league’s 3rd best strikeout rate. For the season, they have been one of the league’s best teams in terms of on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS.
Our favorite bet for this game is to take the over at 8 runs. We have the Astros winning this one 6-5, giving us a little wiggle room on the over/under line. At -245, we don’t see a ton of value in taking the Astros on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Framber Valdez is projected to go 6 innings and finish with 5 K’s. As for Mitch Spence, he is projected to finish with 6 K’s and go 5 innings.
Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Betting Tips
- Take the Astros on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Athletics (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Houston Astros Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jose Altuve | Questionable | Side |
| Kendall Graveman | Out | Shoulder |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | Out | Forearm |
| Cristian Javier | Out | Elbow |
| Luis Garcia | Out | Elbow |
| Chas McCormick | Out | Hand |
| Bennett Sousa | Out | Shoulder |
| José Urquidy | Out | Elbow |
| Penn Murfee | Out | Elbow |
| Oliver Ortega | Out | Elbow |
| J.P. France | Out | Undisclosed |
Oakland Athletics Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Wood | Out | Shoulder |
| Trevor Gott | Out | Elbow |
| Ross Stripling | Out | Back |
| Miguel Andujar | Out | Abdomen |
| Michael Kelly | Out | Suspension |
| Austin Adams | Out | Elbow/Forearm |
| Esteury Ruiz | Out | Wrist |
| Luis Medina | Out | Elbow |
| Tyler Soderstrom | Out | Wrist |
| Ken Waldichuk | Out | Arm |
| Osvaldo Bido | Out | Wrist |
