Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics 8/19/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Oakland Coliseum

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Justin Verlander vs. Sean Manaea

The Houston Astros visit Oakland Coliseum on Sunday, August 19, 2018 to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Justin Verlander for the Astros and Sean Manaea for the Athletics.

The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -142 and Oakland at +132. The Astros have a 52-64-6 over/under record and a 61-61-0 run line mark. The Athletics are 61-61-0 against the run line and have a 55-59-8 over/under record.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 52-64-6 against the over/under

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

Important Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 55-59-8 against the over/under

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

Key Houston Astros Injuries

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 74-48 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Justin Verlander has a 11-8 record with an earned run average of 2.52 and a WHIP of 0.91 this season. He has 217 strikeouts over his 164.1 innings pitched and he's given up 122 hits. He's allowed 6.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.98. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.07 and they have given up 279 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .214 against the bullpen and they've struck out 425 hitters and walked 91 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 868 base hits and 373 earned runs. They have allowed 115 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 315 batters and struck out 1,289. They have walked 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.08 and their FIP as a unit is 3.17.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .254, good for 8th in the league. The Astros hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Yuli Gurriel is hitting .280 with an on-base percentage of .312. He has 113 hits this season in 403 at bats with 58 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .402 and an OPS+ of 99. Alex Bregman is hitting .279 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .383. He has totaled 127 hits and he has driven in 75 men in 456 at bats. His OPS+ is 151 while his slugging percentage is at .518. The Astros have 1,050 hits, including 221 doubles and 155 home runs. Houston has walked 428 times so far this season and they have struck out 931 times as a unit. They have left 804 men on base and have a team OPS of .756. They score 4.9 runs per contest and have scored a total of 598 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Oakland has a 73-49 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.44, Sean Manaea has a 11-8 record and a 1.04 WHIP. He has 102 strikeouts over the 151.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 127 hits. He's allowing 7.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.22. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.35 and they have given up 378 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Athletics bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 447 batters and walked 172 opposing hitters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.5 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.79. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,008 base knocks and 468 earned runs this season. They have given up 136 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. Oakland as a staff has walked 355 hitters and struck out 931 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.23 while their FIP as a staff is 4.14.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .249, good for 14th in the league. The Athletics hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Jed Lowrie comes into this matchup batting .273 with an OBP of .352. He has 124 hits this year along with 76 RBI in 455 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .470 with an OPS+ of 128. Marcus Semien is hitting .263 this season and he has an OBP of .322. He has collected 128 hits in 487 at bats while driving in 45 runs. He has an OPS+ of 99 and a slugging percentage of .388. The Athletics as a unit have 1,045 base hits, including 240 doubles and 163 homers. Oakland has walked 400 times this year and they have struck out on 1,037 occasions. They have had 826 men left on base and have an OPS of .751. They have scored 4.71 runs per game and totaled 575 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros -142

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