Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 4/5/2019

Friday, April 5, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Frankie Montas vs. Collin McHugh

The Oakland Athletics visit Minute Maid Park on Friday, April 5, 2019 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Frankie Montas for the Athletics and Collin McHugh for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Oakland at +162 and Houston at -172. The Athletics have a 2-7-0 over/under record and a 4-5-0 run line mark. The Astros are 1-6-0 against the run line and have a 1-6-0 over/under record.

Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 2-7-0 against the over/under

The Oakland Athletics are 4-5-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 1-6-0 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 1-6-0 against the run line

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

03/27/19 P Chris Bassitt Leg 10-day IL (03/27)
03/25/19 C Chris Herrmann Knee 60-day IL (03/17)
03/25/19 P Jharel Cotton Arm 60-day IL (03/17)
03/25/19 1B Matt Olson Hand 10-day IL (03/27)
03/25/19 LF Nick Martini Knee 10-day IL (03/17)
03/25/19 P Sean Manaea Shoulder 60-day IL (03/25)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

03/28/19 P Joe Smith Achilles 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Lance McCullers Jr Elbow 10-day IL (03/25); is out for season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Athletics have a 5-4 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Frankie Montas has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 1.50 and a WHIP of 0.50 this season. He has 6 strikeouts over his 6 innings pitched and he's given up 3 hits. He's allowed 4.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.6. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.15 and they have given up 31 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen and they've struck out 36 hitters and walked 15 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 6.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.2 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 2.89. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 58 base hits and 27 earned runs. They have allowed 6 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 27 batters and struck out 67. They have walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.01 and their FIP as a unit is 3.48.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Oakland is hitting .215, good for 21st in the league. The Athletics hold a .391 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .293, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 7.1 hits per game. Marcus Semien is hitting .344 with an on-base percentage of .432. He has 11 hits this season in 32 at bats with 3 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .500 and an OPS+ of 183. Khris Davis is hitting .212 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .297. He has totaled 7 hits and he has driven in 9 men in 33 at bats. His OPS+ is 184 while his slugging percentage is at .667. The Athletics have 64 hits, including 8 doubles and 14 home runs. Oakland has walked 29 times so far this season and they have struck out 61 times as a unit. They have left 60 men on base and have a team OPS of .684. They score 3.78 runs per contest and have scored a total of 34 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 2-5 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.60, Collin McHugh has a 0-1 record and a 0.80 WHIP. He has 9 strikeouts over the 5 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 3 hits. He's allowing 5.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at -0.07. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.08 and they have given up 10 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .167 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 25 batters and walked 3 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 11.6 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 2.95. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 41 base knocks and 19 earned runs this season. They have given up 6 home runs this year, which ranks 16th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 11 hitters and struck out 75 batters. They give up a walk 1.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 11.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 0.90 while their FIP as a staff is 2.41.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .235, good for 14th in the league. The Astros hold a .363 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .304, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 7.6 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .308 with an OBP of .387. He has 8 hits this year along with 5 RBI in 26 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .538 with an OPS+ of 177. Michael Brantley is hitting .208 this season and he has an OBP of .269. He has collected 5 hits in 24 at bats while driving in 4 runs. He has an OPS+ of 93 and a slugging percentage of .375. The Astros as a unit have 53 base hits, including 11 doubles and 6 homers. Houston has walked 21 times this year and they have struck out on 50 occasions. They have had 47 men left on base and have an OPS of .667. They have scored 2.14 runs per game and totaled 15 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Athletics +162

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