Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 9/12/2019

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Homer Bailey vs. Justin Verlander

Minute Maid Park is the venue where Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros (95-51, 1st in AL West) will take on the Oakland Athletics (85-60, 2nd in AL West) on Thursday. The line on this contest has the Athletics coming in at +242 and the Astros are at -265. The O/U opens at 9.

The Athletics have been great for bettors, having gone 85-60-0 SU. Houston is covering 65.1% of the time, going 95-51-0 straight up.

Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Athletics have been a dicey Under play for O/U wagerers, having gone 66-76-3.

Oakland is covering 52.9% of the time away from home, having gone 37-33-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros are covering 75.7% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 56-18-0 SU.

The Astros have been a dicey Under play for O/U wagerers, having gone 66-74-6.

Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

9/10/2019 Ramon Laureano CF Leg Probable for Sep 11
9/9/2019 Luis Barrera LF Shoulder Out for the season
9/4/2019 Stephen Piscotty RF Ankle Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
5/15/2019 Daniel Gossett RP Elbow Out for the season

Key Houston Astros Injuries

9/10/2019 Ryan Pressly RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/10/2019 Yuli Gurriel 1B Hamstring Probable for Sep 11
9/9/2019 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/9/2019 Collin McHugh RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/5/2019 Aaron Sanchez SP Shoulder Out for the season
9/5/2019 Carlos Correa SS Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Athletics have a 85-60 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Homer Bailey has a 12-8 record with an earned run average of 4.87 and a WHIP of 1.35 this season. He has 131 strikeouts over his 146 innings pitched and he's given up 148 hits. He's allowed 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.38. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.11 and they have given up 457 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the bullpen and they've struck out 519 hitters and walked 197 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 1,221 base hits and 596 earned runs. They have allowed 183 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 433 batters and struck out 1,140. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 4.41.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Oakland is hitting .250, good for 16th in the league. The Athletics hold a .450 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Matt Chapman is hitting .255 with an on-base percentage of .348. He has 133 hits this season in 521 at bats with 81 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .518 and an OPS+ of 131. Marcus Semien is hitting .278 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .361. He has totaled 164 hits and he has driven in 80 men in 590 at bats. His OPS+ is 132 while his slugging percentage is at .503. The Athletics have 1,245 hits, including 259 doubles and 230 home runs. Oakland has walked 507 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,172 times as a unit. They have left 952 men on base and have a team OPS of .777. They score 5.28 runs per contest and have scored a total of 765 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 95-51 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.52, Justin Verlander has a 18-5 record and a 0.77 WHIP. He has 264 strikeouts over the 200 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 118 hits. He's allowing 5.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.35. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 432 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 541 batters and walked 179 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.78. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,097 base knocks and 553 earned runs this season. They have given up 218 home runs this year, which ranks 8th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 411 hitters and struck out 1,485 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.15 while their FIP as a staff is 4.13.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .277, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .495 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .353, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.6 hits per contest. Michael Brantley comes into this matchup batting .324 with an OBP of .383. He has 171 hits this year along with 85 RBI in 528 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .525 with an OPS+ of 135. Alex Bregman is hitting .298 this season and he has an OBP of .417. He has collected 150 hits in 504 at bats while driving in 103 runs. He has an OPS+ of 159 and a slugging percentage of .581. The Astros as a unit have 1,400 base hits, including 299 doubles and 252 homers. Houston has walked 569 times this year and they have struck out on 1,048 occasions. They have had 1,041 men left on base and have an OPS of .848. They have scored 5.73 runs per game and totaled 836 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Athletics (+242)

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