Houston Astros at New York Yankees Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 6/20/2019

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Yankee Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Framber Valdez vs. Chad Green

Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros (48-26, 1st in AL West) head to Yankee Stadium on Thursday where they'll meet the New York Yankees (45-27, 1st in AL East). The moneyline on this game has the Astros coming in at -104 and the Yankees are at -106. The total has been set at 9.

The Astros have been a great choice for baseball wagerers, having gone 48-26-0 SU. The Yankees are covering 62.5% of the time, going 45-27-0 straight up. The Yankees have been terrible for Las Vegas oddsmakers as favorites, going 39-19-0 SU. Houston is covering 33.3% of the time as the underdog, having gone 1-2-0 straight up.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros have been a very good Under option for over/under wagerers, having gone 31-40-3.

Houston is covering 55.9% of the time as the visitor, having gone 19-15-0 straight up.

Important New York Yankees Betting Trends

The Yankees are covering 64.9% of the time at Yankee Stadium, going 24-13-0 SU.

The Yankees have been an awful Under option for over/under wagerers, having gone 38-31-3.

Related: MLB Baseball First Five Innings Betting Strategy

Key Houston Astros Injuries

6/18/2019 Max Stassi C Knee Expected to be out until at least Jun 25
6/18/2019 Collin McHugh SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 22
6/17/2019 George Springer RF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 25
6/14/2019 Jose Altuve 2B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 19
6/12/2019 Aledmys Diaz 2B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 25
6/10/2019 Carlos Correa SS Ribs Expected to be out until at least Jul 7
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season
5/15/2019 Joe Smith RP Achilles Expected to be out until at least Jul 1

Key New York Yankees Injuries

6/18/2019 Domingo German SP Hip Expected to be out until at least Jul 2
6/18/2019 Aaron Judge RF Oblique Expected to be out until at least Jun 21
6/16/2019 Jake Barrett RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 30
6/13/2019 Kendrys Morales DH Calf Expected to be out until at least Jun 22
6/11/2019 Dellin Betances RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 30
6/7/2019 Troy Tulowitzki SS Calf Expected to be out until at least Jun 24
6/3/2019 Ben Heller RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 20
6/3/2019 Jonathan Loaisiga SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
6/3/2019 Jacoby Ellsbury CF Foot Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
6/3/2019 Greg Bird 1B Foot Expected to be out until at least Jul 20
5/21/2019 Miguel Andujar DH Shoulder Out for the season
5/5/2019 Luis Severino SP Lat Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
3/23/2019 Jordan Montgomery SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 15

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 48-26 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Framber Valdez has a 3-2 record with an earned run average of 2.77 and a WHIP of 1.18 this season. He has 36 strikeouts over his 39 innings pitched and he's given up 31 hits. He's allowed 7.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.3. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.54 and they have given up 189 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the bullpen and they've struck out 256 hitters and walked 84 batters. As a team, Houston allows 7 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.6. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 521 base hits and 267 earned runs. They have allowed 107 home runs this season, ranking them 5th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 201 batters and struck out 745. They have walked 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.08 and their FIP as a unit is 4.03.

Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .266, good for 3rd in the league. The Astros hold a .470 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 9.0 hits per game. Michael Brantley is hitting .315 with an on-base percentage of .375. He has 86 hits this season in 273 at bats with 40 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .509 and an OPS+ of 136. Alex Bregman is hitting .265 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .396. He has totaled 68 hits and he has driven in 50 men in 257 at bats. His OPS+ is 149 while his slugging percentage is at .537. The Astros have 665 hits, including 136 doubles and 117 home runs. Houston has walked 286 times so far this season and they have struck out 513 times as a unit. They have left 509 men on base and have a team OPS of .812. They score 5.16 runs per contest and have scored a total of 382 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

New York has a 45-27 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 7.54, Chad Green has a 1-2 record and a 1.68 WHIP. He has 30 strikeouts over the 22.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 32 hits. He's allowing 12.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.15. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.97 and they have given up 234 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Yankees bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 305 batters and walked 107 opposing hitters. As a team, New York allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 4. The Yankees pitchers as a team have surrendered 581 base knocks and 285 earned runs this season. They have given up 103 home runs this year, which ranks 11th in Major League Baseball. New York as a staff has walked 216 hitters and struck out 672 batters. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.24 while their FIP as a staff is 4.27.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .259, good for 9th in the league. The Yankees hold a .449 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. DJ LeMahieu comes into this matchup batting .313 with an OBP of .356. He has 86 hits this year along with 44 RBI in 275 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .458 with an OPS+ of 117. Gleyber Torres is hitting .283 this season and he has an OBP of .343. He has collected 71 hits in 251 at bats while driving in 36 runs. He has an OPS+ of 126 and a slugging percentage of .514. The Yankees as a unit have 631 base hits, including 107 doubles and 115 homers. New York has walked 264 times this year and they have struck out on 625 occasions. They have had 472 men left on base and have an OPS of .784. They have scored 5.39 runs per game and totaled 388 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros -104

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