The Houston Astros will pay a visit to the Bay when they take on the Oakland Athletics in one of the most exciting MLB matchups on Friday night. Six of each of these teams’ next nine outings will come against one another. The last time they met, the Astros swept a three-game series held in the same venue as this one.
The Athletics (28-56) aren’t likely to compete for much that matters the rest of this season, but they are coming off of a series win over Toronto this week.
In the MLB standings, they face the largest deficit of any team in the American League. At this moment, they’re 27 games out of first place in the AL West and have only ten home triumphs — two of which coming against the Blue Jays this week.
Houston (54-28) is on the complete other side of the spectrum. The Astros have won nine of their last ten games, including sweeps of the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Angels.
They sit in the perch of the AL West, 13 games ahead of the next closest foe, in Seattle. The team has the most road victories of any squad in the AL.
Looking at MLB team stats, Houston possesses some of the most pop in the majors. Their 119 total home runs are eclipsed by only Atlanta and the New York Yankees. The Astros’ .241 collective batting average is a little more ordinary, as it almost ranks in the middle of the bigs.
Left fielder Yordan Alvarez has been instrumental to the crew’s order, leading it in batting average (.312), home runs (26), RBIs (59), and on-base percentage (.410). Behind him, both Michael Brantley and Jose Altuve are both hitting .280 or better.
Astros vs. Athletics Odds
MLB odds have the visitors continuing their tear. Houston is -1.5 on the run line at -105, while the Athletics are -115 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Houston Astros are -186 and Oakland a +156 underdog. The total has been set at 7.5 runs, with the over being -106 and the under -114 at the time of this writing.
Oakland’s offensive effort has been completely dismal, as they have MLB’s lowest team batting average at this juncture. Along with that, they also have the fewest RBIs and second-fewest total runs scored.
Shortstop Elvis Andrus has the lineup’s best average (.230) and on-base percentage (.296), while first baseman Seth Brown has a team-high ten long balls and 36 runs driven in.
Matchup Information
Astros vs. Athletics Betting Preview
For the hosts, right-hander Paul Blackburn will throw. So far, the 28-year-old has put up a 6-3 record and a respectable 2.90 ERA.
The Oakland Athletics have dropped each of his last three starts, the most recent being a 2-1 defeat at Seattle last Saturday. In that matchup, Blackburn went 6.1 innings, giving up four hits and no runs. It was the fifth time this year that he’s held a team scoreless.
Houston’s Jose Urquidy will take the ball as his counterpart. The righty hurler has done pretty well thus far, going 7-3. His 4.15 ERA could use a little bit of work, though.
The Astros have come out on top in three of his last four starts, including a victory over the Angels last Saturday. Urquidy pitched six frames of two-hit ball in that one. He also had eight strikeouts compared to three walks.
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Picks and Predictions
Don’t make these MLB picks today complicated. Sure, Oakland has found a bit of a groove — surprisingly — but the Astros are simply way too powerful for them to compete with in this one.
Take Houston to cover the spread, continuing its run of dominance in the division. As of right now, it looks like they’ll be the ones to beat. The Athletics don’t have the firepower to keep up, especially if they can’t even defend their own stadium.
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