The Oakland Athletics face the Houston Astros in what’s expected to be a pitchers’ duel tonight on the West Coast. The A’s will send ace Sean Manaea to the bump to face the Astros’ potent lineup while Houston will counter with Lance McCullers, who has had a strong start to 2018 but got roughed up in his last outing vs the Yankees. The Astros opened as -135 favorites to get another win in Oak-Town after clobbering the A’s 16-2 in the series opener.
- The total has gone OVER in five straight games in this matchup in Oakland.
- Houston is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games on the road.
- Oakland is 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in its last six games at home.
Oakland’s pitching was having a nice week, allowing only 17 runs over its previous six games before last night’s fiasco. The Athletics’ Sean Manaea may be what the doctor ordered as he has been sensational in his three starts at home with a microscopic 0.73 ERA over 24.2 innings while holding hitters to a .082 batting average. He’s also proved that he can shut down this Astros lineup, going into Minute Maid Park on April 27 and holding them to four hits and fanning seven in a dominant win.
Manaea is one of the early front-runners for the American League Cy Young and another impressive outing may put him at the top of the oddsboard. The only factor for not endorsing an Athletics victory is they have given Manaea almost no run support in seven starts this season, averaging 2.75 runs per game in his outings.
Lance McCullers hasn’t really worried about that issue as the Astros have beat the stuffing out of the ball when he pitches, averaging 6.42 runs per game in his seven starts this season. McCullers had been in a nice groove since April 17, allowing a total of just two runs in three starts before getting roughed up by the Yankees in his last appearance. He has pitched in Oakland just once in his career (April 2017) and was knocked around for eight hits, including two homers. However, it is worth mentioning that McCullers faced the A’s lineup at home on April 28 and put on a clinic, allowing only two hits over 7.2 innings with seven strikeouts and no errors.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Oakland was a +119 moneyline underdog earlier in the day at Sportsbook, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made oddsmakers at Sportsbook pick an Sportsbook OVER/UNDER number of 8.
Handicapping models based on recent betting stats and prediction formulas pick a 3.7-3.0 win for the Astros. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Oakland Athletics bring an 18-17 record to the battle against the 22-15 Astros. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Oakland vs Houston injuries news.
The Athletics-Astros odds would favor the Astros if the betting lines were set according to our power ranks. Oakland is rated No. 15 in the current OddsShark poll, while Houston is at No. 1.
Statistical Matchup
At the plate, Oakland owns the No. 11 ranking for hits at 8.66 per game. By contrast, Houston is rated No. 7 in the same category at 8.73 per game.
Oakland owns the No. 22 defense, allowing 4.54 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Houston's No. 1-rated defense.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Houston ran up the score in their last game on Monday, jumping to a lead and resulting in a 16-2 victory against Oakland.
- Houston is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
- Houston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 8 games
- Houston is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
- Oakland is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
- Oakland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 6 games
- Oakland is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Houston at Oakland, Wednesday, May 9
