Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 7/22/2019
Monday, July 22, 2019
Minute Maid Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Homer Bailey vs. Gerrit Cole
George Springer and the Houston Astros (63-37, 1st in AL West) play the Oakland Athletics (57-42, 2nd in AL West) at Minute Maid Park on Monday, July 22, 2019. The Athletics open this contest at +207 while the Astros are coming in at -225. The total is set at 9.
The Athletics have been terrible for oddsmakers, having gone 57-42-0 SU. Houston covers 63.0% of the time, going 63-37-0 straight up. The Astros have been a great play for MLB bettors as a favorite, going 61-32-0 SU. Oakland covers 52.4% of the time as the underdog, having gone 22-20-0 straight up.
Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends
The Athletics have been an inconsistent Over option for over/under bettors, having gone 47-52-0.
Oakland covers 54.2% of the time as a visitor, having gone 26-22-0 straight up.
Important Houston Astros Betting Trends
The Astros cover 71.4% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 35-14-0 SU.
The Astros have been an inconsistent Over option for over/under bettors, having gone 44-52-4.
Key Oakland Athletics Injuries
7/20/2019 Sean Manaea SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
7/20/2019 Brett Anderson SP Finger Expected to be out until at least Jul 25
7/17/2019 Jharel Cotton RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 26
7/16/2019 Marco Estrada SP Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/16/2019 Nick Hundley C Knee Expected to be out until at least Jul 25
7/2/2019 Stephen Piscotty RF Knee Expected to be out until at least Jul 30
5/15/2019 Daniel Gossett RP Elbow Out for the season
Key Houston Astros Injuries
7/15/2019 Aledmys Diaz 2B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jul 22
7/14/2019 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 26
7/12/2019 Carlos Correa SS Ribs Expected to be out until at least Jul 26
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Athletics have a 57-42 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Homer Bailey has a 8-6 record with an earned run average of 4.69 and a WHIP of 1.40 this season. He has 87 strikeouts over his 96 innings pitched and he's given up 96 hits. He's allowed 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.29. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.89 and they have given up 320 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the bullpen and they've struck out 354 hitters and walked 142 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.95. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 823 base hits and 397 earned runs. They have allowed 114 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 311 batters and struck out 765. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 4.34.
Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Oakland is hitting .251, good for 16th in the league. The Athletics hold a .451 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Marcus Semien is hitting .271 with an on-base percentage of .351. He has 111 hits this season in 410 at bats with 50 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .461 and an OPS+ of 118. Matt Chapman is hitting .276 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .361. He has totaled 99 hits and he has driven in 59 men in 359 at bats. His OPS+ is 142 while his slugging percentage is at .546. The Athletics have 866 hits, including 179 doubles and 162 home runs. Oakland has walked 330 times so far this season and they have struck out 767 times as a unit. They have left 652 men on base and have a team OPS of .775. They score 5.2 runs per contest and have scored a total of 520 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Houston has a 63-37 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.12, Gerrit Cole has a 10-5 record and a 1.03 WHIP. He has 194 strikeouts over the 129.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 101 hits. He's allowing 7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.15. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.77 and they have given up 289 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 369 batters and walked 126 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 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 3.86. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 748 base knocks and 386 earned runs this season. They have given up 151 home runs this year, which ranks 5th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 284 hitters and struck out 1,011 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.15 while their FIP as a staff is 4.20.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .271, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .475 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 5th in MLB with 9.3 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .302 with an OBP of .388. He has 81 hits this year along with 55 RBI in 268 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .601 with an OPS+ of 158. Michael Brantley is hitting .326 this season and he has an OBP of .385. He has collected 119 hits in 365 at bats while driving in 52 runs. He has an OPS+ of 136 and a slugging percentage of .510. The Astros as a unit have 928 base hits, including 189 doubles and 161 homers. Houston has walked 381 times this year and they have struck out on 704 occasions. They have had 716 men left on base and have an OPS of .821. They have scored 5.2 runs per game and totaled 520 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Athletics/Astros MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Athletics +207
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