Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros 8/18/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, August 18, 2017

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Sean Manaea vs. Dallas Keuchel

The Oakland Athletics visit Minute Maid Park on Friday, August 18, 2017 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Sean Manaea for the Athletics and Dallas Keuchel for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Oakland at +203 and Houston at -220. The Athletics have a 66-51-4 over/under record and a 62-59-0 run line mark. The Astros are 63-57-0 against the run line and have a 63-49-8 over/under record.

Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 66-51-4 against the over/under

The Oakland Athletics are 62-59-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 63-49-8 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 63-57-0 against the run line

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

07/28/17 C Josh Phegley Oblique 10-day DL (07/25)
07/02/17 CF Dustin Fowler Knee 60-day DL (06/30)
06/10/17 P Andrew Triggs Hip 60-day DL (06/10)
05/28/17 P Bobby Wahl Shoulder 60-day DL (05/24)
04/01/17 P Chris Bassitt Elbow 60-day DL (03/30)
04/01/17 CF Jake Smolinski Shoulder 60-day DL (03/30)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

08/14/17 C Brian McCann Knee 10-day DL (08/14)
08/05/17 C Evan Gattis Concussion 10-day DL (08/05)
08/02/17 P Michael Feliz Shoulder 10-day DL (08/02)
08/02/17 P Tony Sipp Calf 10-day DL (08/02)
07/31/17 P Lance McCullers Back 10-day DL (07/31)
07/31/17 P Will Harris Shoulder 10-day DL (07/31)
07/23/17 3B Colin Moran Facial 10-day DL (07/23)
07/18/17 SS Carlos Correa Thumb 10-day DL (07/18)
07/01/17 P David Paulino Suspension 80-game suspension (eligible to return for the 2018 season)
04/20/17 P Jandel Gustave Forearm 60-day DL (04/19)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Athletics have a 53-68 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Sean Manaea has a 8-7 record with an earned run average of 4.59 and a WHIP of 1.37. He has 112 strikeouts over his 119.2 innings pitched and he's given up 122 hits. He allows 9.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.99. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.68 and they have given up 394 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the bullpen and they've struck out 395 hitters and walked 155 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.77. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 1,083 base hits and 567 earned runs. They have allowed 150 home runs this season, ranking them 13th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 378 batters and struck out 913. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.44.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Oakland is hitting .241, good for 29th in the league. The Athletics hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Khris Davis is hitting .240 with an on-base percentage of .328. He has 105 hits this season in 438 at bats with 86 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .521 and an OPS+ of 127. Jed Lowrie is hitting .274 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .349. He has totaled 118 hits and he has driven in 42 men in 431 at bats. His OPS+ is 115 while his slugging percentage is at .441. The Athletics have 981 hits, including 228 doubles and 168 home runs. Oakland has walked 420 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,131 times as a unit. They have left 796 men on base and have a team OPS of .741. They score 4.44 runs per contest and have scored a total of 537 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 74-46 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.77, Dallas Keuchel has a 10-2 record and a 1.12 WHIP. He has 83 strikeouts over the 94.1 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 77 hits. He allows 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.71. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.26 and they have given up 356 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 509 batters and walked 156 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.24. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 985 base knocks and 505 earned runs this season. They have given up 145 home runs this year, which ranks 17th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 397 hitters and struck out 1,201 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.91.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .289, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .496 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .353, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 10.1 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .364 with an OBP of .423. He has 167 hits this year along with 66 RBI in 459 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .571 with an OPS+ of 173. Josh Reddick is hitting .295 this season and he has an OBP of .341. He has collected 110 hits in 373 at bats while driving in 58 runs. He has an OPS+ of 123 and a slugging percentage of .475. The Astros as a unit have 1,214 base hits, including 262 doubles and 191 homers. Houston has walked 386 times this year and they have struck out on 813 occasions. They have had 830 men left on base and have an OPS of .849. They have scored 5.76 runs per game and totaled 691 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Athletics/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros -220

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