Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics 8/17/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, August 17, 2018

Oakland Coliseum

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Charlie Morton vs. Edwin Jackson

The Houston Astros visit Oakland Coliseum on Friday, August 17, 2018 to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Charlie Morton for the Astros and Edwin Jackson for the Athletics.

The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -130 and Oakland at +120. The Astros have a 52-63-6 over/under record and a 61-60-0 run line mark. The Athletics are 60-61-0 against the run line and have a 55-58-8 over/under record.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 52-63-6 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 61-60-0 against the run line

Important Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 55-58-8 against the over/under

The Oakland Athletics are 60-61-0 against the run line

Key Houston Astros Injuries

08/15/18 RF George Springer Thumb 10-day DL (08/06); expected to be activated Friday vs Colorado Rockies
08/12/18 CF Jake Marisnick Groin 10-day DL (08/11)
08/05/18 P Lance McCullers Jr. Elbow 10-day DL (08/05)
08/04/18 P Chris Devenski Hamstring 10-day DL (07/31)
07/28/18 2B Jose Altuve Knee 10-day DL (07/28)
07/03/18 C Brian McCann Knee 10-day DL (07/01)
05/21/18 LF Derek Fisher Intestinal 10-day DL (05/20)
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

08/06/18 LF Jake Smolinski Blood Clot 60-day DL (08/05)
07/25/18 P Kendall Graveman Elbow is out for season
07/14/18 P Andrew Triggs Forearm 60-day DL (05/18)
07/08/18 P Paul Blackburn Elbow 10-day DL (07/07)
07/07/18 RF Matt Joyce Back 10-day DL (07/05)
06/26/18 P Daniel Mengden Foot 10-day DL (06/24)
06/08/18 CF Boog Powell Knee 60-day DL (04/07)
06/06/18 P Daniel Gossett Elbow 60-day DL (06/04)
03/26/18 P Jharel Cotton Elbow 60-day DL (03/21)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 74-47 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Charlie Morton has a 12-3 record with an earned run average of 2.88 and a WHIP of 1.15 this season. He has 171 strikeouts over his 137.1 innings pitched and he's given up 104 hits. He's allowed 6.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.44. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.05 and they have given up 275 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the bullpen and they've struck out 421 hitters and walked 87 batters. As a team, Houston allows 7.1 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 3.05. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 860 base hits and 370 earned runs. They have allowed 114 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 309 batters and struck out 1,281. They have walked 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.07 and their FIP as a unit is 3.15.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .255, good for 7th in the league. The Astros hold a .428 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Alex Bregman is hitting .278 with an on-base percentage of .381. He has 126 hits this season in 453 at bats with 74 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .512 and an OPS+ of 149. Yuli Gurriel is hitting .284 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .315. He has totaled 113 hits and he has driven in 58 men in 398 at bats. His OPS+ is 102 while his slugging percentage is at .407. The Astros have 1,043 hits, including 221 doubles and 153 home runs. Houston has walked 423 times so far this season and they have struck out 923 times as a unit. They have left 798 men on base and have a team OPS of .756. They score 4.92 runs per contest and have scored a total of 595 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Oakland has a 72-49 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.48, Edwin Jackson has a 4-2 record and a 1.03 WHIP. He has 41 strikeouts over the 54.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 39 hits. He's allowing 6.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.84. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.37 and they have given up 377 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Athletics bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 441 batters and walked 169 opposing hitters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.8. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,002 base knocks and 465 earned runs this season. They have given up 134 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. Oakland as a staff has walked 350 hitters and struck out 923 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.23 while their FIP as a staff is 4.13.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .249, good for 14th in the league. The Athletics hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Marcus Semien comes into this matchup batting .263 with an OBP of .323. He has 127 hits this year along with 45 RBI in 483 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .389 with an OPS+ of 99. Jed Lowrie is hitting .271 this season and he has an OBP of .350. He has collected 122 hits in 451 at bats while driving in 76 runs. He has an OPS+ of 127 and a slugging percentage of .468. The Athletics as a unit have 1,037 base hits, including 237 doubles and 162 homers. Oakland has walked 394 times this year and they have struck out on 1,029 occasions. They have had 816 men left on base and have an OPS of .751. They have scored 4.72 runs per game and totaled 571 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros -130

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