Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros 8/20/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jharel Cotton vs. Brad Peacock

Minute Maid Park is the site of the matchup between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros on Sunday, August 20, 2017. The probable starting pitchers are Jharel Cotton for the Athletics and Brad Peacock for the Astros.

Oakland opens at +183 while Houston opens at -197. The Athletics have a 66-52-4 over/under record and a 62-60-0 run line mark. The Astros are 64-58-0 against the run line and have a 63-51-8 over/under record.

Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 66-52-4 against the over/under

The Oakland Athletics are 62-60-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 63-51-8 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 64-58-0 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 53-69 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jharel Cotton has a 5-10 record with an earned run average of 5.83 and a WHIP of 1.50. He has 80 strikeouts over his 97.1 innings pitched and he's given up 104 hits. He allows 9.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.45. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.65 and they have given up 395 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 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.75. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 1,090 base hits and 569 earned runs. They have allowed 152 home runs this season, ranking them 13th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 379 batters and struck out 915. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 4.45.

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 .313, which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Jed Lowrie is hitting .271 with an on-base percentage of .346. He has 118 hits this season in 435 at bats with 42 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .437 and an OPS+ of 113. Khris Davis is hitting .238 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .325. He has totaled 105 hits and he has driven in 86 men in 442 at bats. His OPS+ is 125 while his slugging percentage is at .516. The Athletics have 986 hits, including 229 doubles and 169 home runs. Oakland has walked 421 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,137 times as a unit. They have left 799 men on base and have a team OPS of .739. They score 4.41 runs per contest and have scored a total of 538 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 75-47 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.30, Brad Peacock has a 10-1 record and a 1.28 WHIP. He has 121 strikeouts over the 92.2 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 74 hits. He allows 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.75. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.22 and they have given up 361 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 514 batters and walked 157 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 10 batters per nine innings. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.19. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,000 base knocks and 508 earned runs this season. They have given up 148 home runs this year, which ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 401 hitters and struck out 1,216 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.92.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .288, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .493 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .351, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 10.0 hits per contest. Josh Reddick comes into this matchup batting .298 with an OBP of .343. He has 112 hits this year along with 59 RBI in 376 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .476 with an OPS+ of 124. Jose Altuve is hitting .362 this season and he has an OBP of .420. He has collected 169 hits in 467 at bats while driving in 67 runs. He has an OPS+ of 172 and a slugging percentage of .572. The Astros as a unit have 1,225 base hits, including 263 doubles and 193 homers. Houston has walked 388 times this year and they have struck out on 823 occasions. They have had 840 men left on base and have an OPS of .844. They have scored 5.69 runs per game and totaled 694 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Athletics +183

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