The Oakland Athletics (64-82) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (77-68) on Thursday, September 12th. This game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and televised on None. The Athletics are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Astros are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Athletics. First pitch is set for 1:10 CT.

Athletics vs. Astros Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Astros (-245)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs

• Astros have a better home record (41-32) compared to Athletics’ away record (28-43).
• Astros have scored an average of 5.2 runs per game in their last 15 home games.
• Astros have won 4 out of their last 5 home games against the Athletics.
• Astros have a higher league rank (6th) compared to Athletics (13th).
• Astros have a higher division rank (1st) compared to Athletics (4th).

Athletics vs Astros

Oakland picked up a 5-4 road win over the Astros in the most recent game of this series. The A’s had a three-run 6th inning and scored the game’s final run in the 8th. As for the Astros, they scored two runs in the 2nd and added their final two runs in the 5th.

Joey Estes got the win for the A’s, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. He finished the game with just two strikeouts and allowed one home run. Hunter Brown struggled on the mound for the Astros, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work.

Kyle McCann and Brent Rooker each homered for the A’s, while Max Schuemann scored twice and drove in two runs while going 2/3. Alex Bregman went 2/4 with two RBIs for the Astros.

Today, the Athletics are looking to complete a sweep of the Astros, leading the series 2-0. Oakland’s overall series record this season is 17-23-5. They have a 75-55 run line record as underdogs, but are just 6-10 as favorites. The A’s games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, with an over/under record of 68-76.

In the AL West, the Athletics are in 4th place with a 64-82 record, 13.5 games behind the Astros. As the road team, they are 28-43 straight up, and their average run differential on the road is -0.8 runs per game. Oakland’s overall straight-up record as underdogs is 53-77.

Mitch Spence Gets The Start For The Athletics

Mitch Spence gets the start for the Athletics today as he faces the Astros on the road. So far this season, he has made 20 starts and 31 total appearances. Spence’s record for the year is 7-9, and he comes in with an ERA of 4.42. Looking at his overall numbers, Spence has a WHIP of 1.37 and has issued 2.83 walks per nine innings compared to 7.66 strikeouts. The right-hander has turned in three quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up just one earned run in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Athletics Offense Breakdown

The Athletics offense has been one of the league’s best home run-hitting teams this season, but they are batting just .234 as a team and are averaging only 4.1 runs per game. This is 26th in the league and is also the 26th ranked scoring offense in the league. As a team, they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of strikeouts per game.

Brent Rooker has been a bright spot for the Athletics this season, as he is batting .299 with 35 homers and 101 RBIs. His 101 RBIs is 5th in the league. Rooker is also on a five-game hitting streak. Catcher Shea Langeliers is 2nd on the team with 25 homers but is batting just .223 for the season.

As the favorite, the Astros have a 59-49 record this season, but they have lost three straight games and are down 0-2 in the series vs. the Athletics. Houston’s overall run line record is 73-72, with an average run margin of 0.6 runs per game.

So far this season, Astros games have averaged 8.6 runs per game. Their over/under record is 59-81, and when the O/U line is set at 8 runs, the record is 12-13-2. Houston’s overall series record is 24-19-2 heading into today’s game.

Framber Valdez Gets The Start For The Astros

Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today and comes in with a record of 14-6 and an ERA of 2.98. So far this season, he has made 25 starts, and opponents are batting .216 off the left-hander. Valdez has turned in 15 quality starts this year and is coming off a game in which he didn’t allow a run. In that outing vs. the Diamondbacks, he went seven innings, picking up the win. Valdez has been especially tough at home, going 8-2 with a 2.96 ERA compared to 6-4 with a 3.98 ERA on the road.

Astros Offense Breakdown

Yordan Alvarez has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 12/37 in his last nine games with four homers and nine RBIs. For the season, he is batting .313 with 32 homers, which is 9th in the league. Yainer Diaz has also been a force at the plate for the Astros, as he leads the team with 81 RBIs and is batting .298.

As a team, the Astros are 3rd in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been a good home run hitting team this season and are among the league leaders in on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS. Houston’s offense is also tough to strike out, as they are 3rd in the league for fewest strikeouts.

Athletics vs Astros Prediction

Our predicted final score for this one is 6-5 in favor of the Astros, which gives us a better payout than taking them on the money line. We would recommend taking the over, as we see there being plenty of offense in this one and have the line sitting at eight runs.

Looking at the starting pitchers, Framber Valdez is projected to go 6-7 innings, and he is averaging five strikeouts per game. As for Mitch Spence, we have him going just five innings and finishing with six K’s.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.