Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics hits a walk off home run against the Houston Astros at the Oakland Coliseum on August 17, 2018 in Oakland, California.

A’s Open as the Underdog at Home to Houston

Despite an extra-innings win and closing the gap to one game in the AL West, the Oakland Athletics remain the underdog in their series with the Houston Astros. The A’s continue their unlikely and improbable run since mid-June and have won 12 or their last 14 games at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium.

SHARK BITES
  • Oakland is 12-2 SU in its last 14 home games.
  • The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Oakland’s last 12 games with an average combined score of 6.42.
  • Houston is 1-6 SU in its last seven games.

Astros vs Athletics Matchup Page

Who Holds the Edge in the Pitching Matchup?

Dallas Keuchel (9-9, 3.43 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) starts for Houston in the second game of this battle for the AL West lead.  Keuchel had an atrocious start to the season but he’s been much better of late. Since back-to-back great starts against Kansas City in June, he is 6-1 with a 2.19 ERA and opponents are hitting just .215 against him in the second half. This will be his third start against Oakland in 2018 – he’s 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA in 15 innings pitched.

Trevor Cahill (4-2, 3.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) starts for the home side. This is his third start vs the Astros in 2018 – he’s 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA but just a .200 opponent’s batting average in those two starts. Oakland has won six straight games with Cahill as the starting pitcher and he doesn’t have a loss on his ledger since May 16 at Boston.

Who holds the Edge at the Plate?

It’s advantage Houston when it comes to who has been the better offensive team in this matchup. The Astros are hitting .279/.346/.482 for a .828 OPS through 14 games. They’ve hit 24 home runs and are scoring an average of 6.14 runs per game against the A’s pitching staff. George Springer has done the most damage for Houston, batting .382 with three home runs and 10 RBIs, but he went 1-5 in his return from the DL last night. Alex Bregman hit his fourth home run of the year vs Oakland pitching in Friday’s loss.

Conversely, Oakland, like a lot of teams, has had trouble with Houston’s throwers. The A’s are batting .219/.282/.379 through 14 games in the season series. They’ve hit just 13 home runs and are scoring an average of 3.79 runs per game.

A’s Keep Winning, Keeping Scores Low

The score has gone UNDER the closing total in 10 of Oakland’s last 12 games with an average combined score of 6.42.

The A’s bullpen has been one of the best in baseball and that’s a big reason for the low scores and close wins that Oakland has put up. Since the beginning of June, Oakland’s bullpen has a 3.19 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of .202.

Oakland is 12-2 SU in its last 14 home games.home The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Oakland’s last 12 games with an average combined score of 6.42.home Houston is 1-6 SU in its last seven games.away
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