The Oakland Athletics (19-23) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (15-25) on Monday, May 13th. This game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and televised on None. The Astros are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Athletics are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Mariners. First pitch is set for 8:10 ET.
Athletics vs Astros
The Athletics wrapped up their series vs. the Mariners with an 8-4 loss on the road. Oakland was the +185 underdog going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Athletics, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Mariners scored four times in the bottom of the first.
Oakland started Alex Wood, and he took the loss, going only two innings and giving up four earned runs on four hits. The Athletics also issued four walks in thejson loss and hit a total of three home runs.
Oakland will be on the road today vs. the Astros, and they are 3rd in the AL West, 3.5 games behind the Mariners for the division lead. So far, they are 4-6 in AL West matchups. Overall, the Athletics are 19-23 and are looking to get back to .500 with a win today.
The Athletics have struggled a bit at home, going 10-13 compared to 9-10 on the road. As the underdog, Oakland is 15-22 this year and 4-1 as the favorite. They are also looking to get back on track, as they are just 4-6 over their last 10 games and dropped their series vs. the Mariners.
When betting the run line, the A’s have been a solid play, going 23-19 overall. They have been especially good on the road, going 11-8 against the run line. They have been a better play as the underdog, going 21-16 against the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.4, while their average run margin in losing games is -4.2.
Despite a combined run average of 8.7, the Athletics have seen their over/under line set at 8.5 runs for just the ninth time this season. Their over/under record for the year is 21-20, but they have gone over in six straight games, including three times in their last four games against the Mariners and three times in their last four games against the Rangers. Their over/under record in games with lines set at 8.5 runs is 5-4.
Ross Stripling Gets The Start For The Athletics
Ross Stripling gets the start for the Athletics today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made eight starts this season and has a record of 1-6 with an ERA of 5.14. Looking at his overall numbers, Stripling has a WHIP of 1.57 and opponents are batting .306 this season. In his last outing, Stripling took the loss, going just 1 2/3 innings and giving up five earned runs on 11 hits. Before that, he had pitched well, picking up the win and not giving up a run in six innings of work. He will look to bounce back from his rough outing today.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Athletics offense is averaging 4 runs per game, which is only 22nd in the league. They have been even worse on the road, averaging just 3.3 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .222, which is 19th in the league, and their on-base percentage of .298 is also near the bottom of the league. However, the Athletics do have the 4th most home runs in the league.
Brent Rooker has been a bright spot for the Athletics, as he is batting .292 for the season with a team-high 10 homers. Over his last six games, he has gone 11/24 with two homers and seven RBIs. Shea Langeliers has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/16 with two homers in his last five games.
Houston closed out their series vs. the Tigers with an impressive 9-3 win. Heading into the game, the Astros were the slight favorite at -104 on the money line. It was a big 3rd inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Tigers could only score three runs, all of which came in the 4th.
Justin Verlander put together a good start for the Astros, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just two walks and struck out eight Tigers batters. Kyle Tucker was hot at the plate, going 3/3 with a homer and two RBIs.
Houston is hosting the Athletics today with an overall record of 15-25, which has them 4th in the AL West. So far, they are 6.5 games behind the Mariners for the lead in the division. The Astros head into today’s game with an even 5-5 record in divisional matchups.
The Astros were able to take the series vs. the Tigers, winning two of the three games. At home, they are 7-12 this year compared to an 8-13 mark on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are just 11-19 and 4-6 as the underdog. So far this year, their series record is 5-7-1.
When the Astros are favored, they often fail to cover the run line, going 10-20 on the season. Their overall run line record is 15-25, and they have been especially bad at home, going 7-12. Their average run differential is -0.7 runs per game, but in their losses, that number balloons to -3.9 runs per game.
The Houston Astros have hit the over in two straight games and have an over/under record of 15-23 on the season. The average over/under line in their games is 9 runs, but today’s line is set at 8.5 runs. The Astros’ games have averaged 9.6 runs per game this season, and 60% of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s 8.5-run line. Their games have gone over the total in 4 of 9 games with an 8.5-run line this season.
Spencer Arrighetti Gets The Start For The Astros
Spencer Arrighetti is getting the start for the Astros at home against the Athletics. He has started 3 games this season, and has taken the loss in each of his outings. In his last start, he went 5 innings and gave up 5 runs on 8 hits, including 3 home runs.
Astros Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Astros offense is batting a collective .262, which is the best mark in the league. They have also been the toughest team in the league to strike out and have the top team on-base percentage in the league. Houston has been especially good at home this season, averaging 4.8 runs per game. Overall, they are 14th in the league at 4.4 runs per contest.
Kyle Tucker has been the league’s top home run hitter this season, and his 28 RBIs are the best mark on the team and 8th best in the league. Tucker has gone deep five times in his last six games. Jeremy Peña has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/27 in his last seven games, including one home run.
Athletics vs Astros Prediction
Our prediction for this Astros and Athletics matchup is that the Astros will come out on top by a final score of 6-5. However, with the Astros being such heavy favorites on the money line, we recommend taking the over at 8.5 runs, as we see there being a lot of offense in this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Ross Stripling finishing with just four strikeouts and Spencer Arrighetti with five. If you’re looking to bet on the starting pitcher with the most strikeouts, Stripling would be the way to go.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 13, 2024 Astros, Athletics