Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics 5/8/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Oakland Coliseum

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Lance McCullers vs. Sean Manaea

The Houston Astros visit Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday, May 8, 2018 to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Lance McCullers for the Astros and Sean Manaea for the Athletics.

The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -129 and Oakland at +119. The Astros have a 13-21-2 over/under record and a 17-19-0 run line mark. The Athletics are 15-19-0 against the run line and have a 17-15-2 over/under record.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 13-21-2 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 17-19-0 against the run line

Important Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 17-15-2 against the over/under

The Oakland Athletics are 15-19-0 against the run line

Key Houston Astros Injuries

03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

04/28/18 P Ryan Buchter Shoulder 10-day DL (04/26)
04/14/18 P Liam Hendriks Groin 10-day DL (04/14)
04/08/18 CF Boog Powell Knee 10-day DL (04/07)
03/29/18 C Josh Phegley Hand 10-day DL (03/26)
03/29/18 P Paul Blackburn Forearm 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jharel Cotton Elbow 60-day DL (03/21)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 21-15 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Lance McCullers has a 4-1 record with an earned run average of 3.73 and a WHIP of 1.20 this season. He has 49 strikeouts over his 41 innings pitched and he's given up 34 hits. He's allowed 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.03. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.41 and they have given up 78 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the bullpen and they've struck out 103 hitters and walked 28 batters. As a team, Houston allows 6.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.6 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.68. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 232 base hits and 96 earned runs. They have allowed 31 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 92 batters and struck out 380. They have walked 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.01 and their FIP as a unit is 3.02.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .251, good for 10th in the league. The Astros hold a .395 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Carlos Correa is hitting .299 with an on-base percentage of .369. He has 38 hits this season in 127 at bats with 25 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .512 and an OPS+ of 148. Jose Altuve is hitting .322 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .380. He has totaled 46 hits and he has driven in 16 men in 143 at bats. His OPS+ is 130 while his slugging percentage is at .427. The Astros have 304 hits, including 64 doubles and 35 home runs. Houston has walked 135 times so far this season and they have struck out 316 times as a unit. They have left 260 men on base and have a team OPS of .724. They score 4.61 runs per contest and have scored a total of 166 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Oakland has a 18-16 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 1.63, Sean Manaea has a 4-3 record and a 0.66 WHIP. He has 42 strikeouts over the 49.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 26 hits. He's allowing 4.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.38. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.89 and they have given up 124 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .265 against the Athletics bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 105 batters and walked 38 opposing hitters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 294 base knocks and 140 earned runs this season. They have given up 41 home runs this year, which ranks 10th in Major League Baseball. Oakland as a staff has walked 83 hitters and struck out 273 batters. They give up a walk 2.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.23 while their FIP as a staff is 4.03.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .252, good for 9th in the league. The Athletics hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323, which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.7 hits per contest. Jed Lowrie comes into this matchup batting .353 with an OBP of .405. He has 48 hits this year along with 31 RBI in 136 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .603 with an OPS+ of 177. Marcus Semien is hitting .264 this season and he has an OBP of .319. He has collected 38 hits in 144 at bats while driving in 14 runs. He has an OPS+ of 97 and a slugging percentage of .389. The Athletics as a unit have 295 base hits, including 66 doubles and 42 homers. Oakland has walked 111 times this year and they have struck out on 319 occasions. They have had 233 men left on base and have an OPS of .749. They have scored 4.62 runs per game and totaled 157 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros -129

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink