Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros 7/9/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Monday, July 9, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Frankie Montas vs. Gerrit Cole

The Oakland Athletics visit Minute Maid Park on Monday, July 9, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Frankie Montas for the Athletics and Gerrit Cole for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Oakland at +220 and Houston at -240. The Athletics have a 43-39-7 over/under record and a 43-46-0 run line mark. The Astros are 48-43-0 against the run line and have a 40-46-5 over/under record.

Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 43-39-7 against the over/under

The Oakland Athletics are 43-46-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 40-46-5 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 48-43-0 against the run line

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

07/07/18 RF Matt Joyce Back 10-day DL (07/05)
06/26/18 P Daniel Mengden Foot 10-day DL (06/24)
06/15/18 P Trevor Cahill Achilles 10-day DL (06/11)
06/08/18 CF Boog Powell Knee 60-day DL (04/07)
06/06/18 P Daniel Gossett Elbow 10-day DL (06/04)
05/21/18 P Brett Anderson Shoulder 10-day DL (05/19)
05/17/18 P Andrew Triggs Forearm 10-day DL (05/18)
03/26/18 P Jharel Cotton Elbow 60-day DL (03/21)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

07/03/18 C Brian McCann Knee 10-day DL (07/01)
06/28/18 SS Carlos Correa Back 10-day DL (06/26)
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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Athletics have a 49-40 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Frankie Montas has a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 3.83 and a WHIP of 1.47 this season. He has 28 strikeouts over his 42.1 innings pitched and he's given up 49 hits. He's allowed 10.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.48. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.64 and they have given up 291 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .239 against the bullpen and they've struck out 305 hitters and walked 123 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.4 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.1. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 756 base hits and 367 earned runs. They have allowed 107 home runs this season, ranking them 12th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 257 batters and struck out 663. They have walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 4.28.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Oakland is hitting .246, good for 14th in the league. The Athletics hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Jed Lowrie is hitting .291 with an on-base percentage of .359. He has 99 hits this season in 340 at bats with 61 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .503 and an OPS+ of 139. Marcus Semien is hitting .249 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .302. He has totaled 89 hits and he has driven in 31 men in 357 at bats. His OPS+ is 85 while his slugging percentage is at .359. The Athletics have 750 hits, including 167 doubles and 119 home runs. Oakland has walked 280 times so far this season and they have struck out 756 times as a unit. They have left 582 men on base and have a team OPS of .739. They score 4.62 runs per contest and have scored a total of 411 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 60-31 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.70, Gerrit Cole has a 9-2 record and a 0.97 WHIP. He has 158 strikeouts over the 116.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 75 hits. He's allowing 5.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.08. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.64 and they have given up 196 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 302 batters and walked 63 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.5 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.9. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 627 base knocks and 264 earned runs this season. They have given up 83 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 235 hitters and struck out 960 batters. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.05 while their FIP as a staff is 3.09.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .265, good for 3rd in the league. The Astros hold a .439 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .339, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 9.0 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .249 with an OBP of .332. He has 87 hits this year along with 43 RBI in 349 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .427 with an OPS+ of 114. Jose Altuve is hitting .339 this season and he has an OBP of .406. He has collected 121 hits in 357 at bats while driving in 43 runs. He has an OPS+ of 152 and a slugging percentage of .482. The Astros as a unit have 822 base hits, including 174 doubles and 117 homers. Houston has walked 330 times this year and they have struck out on 709 occasions. They have had 623 men left on base and have an OPS of .778. They have scored 5.16 runs per game and totaled 470 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Athletics +220

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