Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics Betting Pick
From Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, we have the Astros and Athletics facing off in an AL West matchup. Wednesday’s forecast in Oakland calls for clear skies and temperatures in the upper 60s. Houston is currently 52-49, while the Athletics are 41-62 overall. JP Sears is starting for the Athletics, and the Astros are going with Hunter Brown.
The over/under line for Wednesday’s game is at 8.5 runs, and the Astros are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -158 compared to the Athletics at +135. Houston is currently on a three-game losing streak, while the Athletics have won two straight.
Hunter Brown Takes the Mound as Astros Aim to Break Losing Streak and Reclaim AL West Lead
Hunter Brown will be on the mound for the Astros today, and he is 8-6 with a 4.14 ERA this season. In his last outing, he went six scoreless innings. Overall, the Astros are 52-49, which has them tied with the Mariners for the AL West lead. They are 18-17 against other AL West teams. Houston has dropped three straight games, including the first two games of this series.
Offensively, the Astros have been one of the best teams in the league, hitting .261 as a team, which is the best in the league. They are also slugging .417. Overall, they are scoring 4.7 runs per game, but they are even better at home, where they are averaging 5.1 runs per game. Yordan Alvarez leads the team with a .304 batting average and 54 RBI. Kyle Tucker is on a three-game hitting streak. The over/under line for the Astros is 8.5 runs on the road, compared to their season average of 9 runs per game. They are 40-57 overall on the over/under line and 11-18 when the line is set at 8.5 runs.
Can JP Sears and the A’s Continue Their Home Surge Against the Astros?
The Athletics are 41-62 this season, trailing the Astros by 12 games in the AL West. Oakland is 13-18 in divisional matchups this year and 32-59 as the underdog. They are sending JP Sears to the mound today, and he is 7-7 with a 4.49 ERA. Sears has a 5-3 record at home compared to 2-4 on the road. Overall, the A’s are 53-50 on the run line, including a 29-23 mark at home. They have won two straight series and are 11-19-1 in series matchups this year. Oakland is 26-26 at home and 15-36 on the road.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs for the Athletics’ game vs. the Astros is slightly higher than their season average of 8.0 runs per game. Oakland’s games have averaged 8.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 47-54. The A’s offense is 21st in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They are 9th in scoring at home, averaging 4.7 runs per game. Brent Rooker is hitting .291 with 23 home runs this season, and he is hitting .361 with 5 homers over his last 10 games. Lawrence Butler is hitting .500 with 5 homers over his last 10 games. The A’s are 4th in homers this season with 132. Miguel Andujar, JJ Bleday, Kyle McCann, and Lawrence Butler are all on hitting streaks for the A’s.
Underdog Athletics Poised for Victory: Betting Value on the Money Line
With the Athletics coming in at +135 on the money line, that is the direction we are looking to go in this one. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Athletics, giving us some good value with them on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Hunter Brown is projected to finish with six strikeouts, while JP Sears is projected to finish with five. However, Sears is projected to finish with fewer earned runs, and his team is predicted to pick up the win.