Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Preview
Wednesday’s matchup between the Athletics and Astros is set to get started at 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. Oakland is 63-82 and is 4th in the AL West, while the Astros are 77-67 and are currently on a two-game losing streak. They are, however, the betting favorite for tonight’s game at -238, with the Athletics sitting at +196 on the money line. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
NSPCA will be televising Wednesday’s game, and Joey Estes will be starting for the Athletics. The Astros are going with Hunter Brown.
Check out BetCoco for Houston Astros – Oakland Athletics odds
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Athletics are 2-3. This includes going 4-1 vs. the runline.
- In the Astros’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 1-4 (SU) with 1-4 against the spread.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Astros have a record of 5-5 straight-up, and have gone 4-6 against the runline.
- The Athletics have a 4-6 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 +171 underdogs and squeaked out a 4-3 win. The A’s had to rally late, scoring two runs in the 12th to pick up the win.
Houston wasted a good outing from Spencer Arrighetti, as he gave up just two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. Hector Neris took the loss.
JP Sears got the win for the A’s out of the bullpen, going six innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with just one strikeout but induced 14 ground balls.
Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Prediction
The Athletics are 63-82 overall and trail the Astros by 14.5 games in the AL West. So far, they are 20-24 in divisional matchups. Oakland is currently 4th in the AL West and leads the Angels by 3 games for the 3rd spot in the division.
At home, the Athletics are 36-39 this year, and they are 27-43 on the road. Oakland has been good as the favorite this year, going 11-5. As the underdog, the Athletics are 52-77 this year. The team’s overall series record is 17-23-5, and they are 1-0 in this series vs. the Astros.
The Oakland Athletics have been a solid bet against the run line this season, with an 80-65 record. They have been especially profitable as the underdog, going 74-55 ATS. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.3, while it’s -3.6 in losses.
The Oakland Athletics are on the road today against the Houston Astros, with the over/under line set at 8 runs. The combined run average in their games this season is 8.8, and their over/under record is 67-76. When the line has been set at 8 runs, their record is 17-16-1. Overall, 49.7% of their games have had over/under lines set at over 8 runs, while 26.9% have been set at under 8 runs.
Right-hander Joey Estes 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 6-7 with an ERA of 4.46. Estes’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.13. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. Looking back over his last four outings, Estes has alternated between wins and losses. He has one complete game shutout this season and seven quality starts. Per nine innings, Estes is averaging 6.97 strikeouts and just 1.86 walks.
Heading into today’s game, the Athletics offense is batting just .234 this season, which is 17th in the league. However, they do have the 5th most home runs in the league and are averaging 4.1 runs per game. Oakland has been striking out a lot this season, as they are 27th in the league in strikeouts. The Athletics have been swinging the bats well of late, as Brent Rooker has gone 17/42 in his last 10 games, and Lawrence Butler is also hitting .405 in his last nine games.
Brent Rooker has been a big part of the Athletics’ home run success this season, as his 35 homers are 7th best in the league. His 99 RBIs are also 6th best in the MLB. Shea Langeliers is 2nd on the team with 25 homers but is batting just .223 this season.
The Astros are currently 77-67 overall, putting them 1st in the AL West. They hold a 4.5 game lead over the Mariners for the top spot in the division. Houston is looking to snap a two-game losing streak today, with the Athletics taking game one of the series. In the AL West, the Astros have gone 21-19 in divisional games.
At home, the Astros are 41-31 this season, and they are an even 36-36 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 59-48 this season and 18-19 as the underdog. Looking at their overall series record, the Astros are 24-19-2 this year.
When the Astros are the favorite, they are just 48-59 against the run line this season. They have been a much better bet when they are the underdog, going 25-12. The Astros’ average run differential in their wins is +3.8, while in their losses, it is -3.1.
Today’s over/under line for the Houston Astros’ game against the Oakland Athletics is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Astros games this season is 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 58-81. The average over/under line for Astros games is 9 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 12-13-2. The majority of Astros games this season have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, with 60.4% of their games having lines set higher than 8 runs.
Hunter Brown gets the start for the Astros today and comes in with a record of 11-7 and ERA of 3.41. He has made 27 starts this year and has pitched well, turning in 17 quality starts and a WHIP of 1.27. Brown’s most recent outing came vs. the Reds, where he went six innings, giving up no earned runs, and finished with a no-decision. He has actually finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. Opponents are batting .231 off Brown this year, and he has a BB/9 figure of 3.24 compared to 9.47 strikeouts per nine innings.
Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros’ top offensive threat this season, as he is batting .312 with a team-leading 32 home runs and 80 RBIs. Alvarez’s 32 homers are the 9th most in the league. Catcher Yainer Diaz also has been a big power threat, as he is batting .300 with 16 homers and 81 RBIs. Jose Altuve has been hot of late, going 13/29 in his last seven games, including one homer and five RBIs.
For the season, the Astros are 3rd in batting average at .261 and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. Their team on-base percentage of .321 is 7th in the league, and they are also near the top of the league in slugging percentage and OPS. Overall, the Astros have the league’s 10th best home run total.
Our pick for this Athletics vs. Astros matchup is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8 runs. Our predicted score is 6-5 in favor of the Astros, giving us a little bit of wiggle room on the over/under line.
Looking at the starting pitcher’s projections, Hunter Brown is expected to finish with seven strikeouts, and we have him finishing with 12th among starters in terms of average innings pitched. As for Joey Estes, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts and is 18th in terms of starters’ average innings pitched.
Offensively, we have the Astros finishing with 10 hits and the Athletics with nine. If you’re looking for a player prop bet, you could look at the Astros’ home run total, as we have them finishing with the ninth most in the league today.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Graveman | Out | Shoulder |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | Out | Forearm |
| Mauricio Dubón | Questionable | Thumb |
| Cristian Javier | Out | Elbow |
| Luis Garcia | Out | Elbow |
| Chas McCormick | Questionable | Wrist |
| 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 |
| Miguel Andujar | Out | Abdomen |
| Michael Kelly | Out | Suspension |
| Austin Adams | Out | Elbow/Forearm |
| Esteury Ruiz | Out | Wrist |
| Luis Medina | Out | Elbow |
| Lawrence Butler | Questionable | Illness |
| Tyler Soderstrom | Out | Wrist |
| Ken Waldichuk | Out | Arm |
| Osvaldo Bido | Out | Wrist |
