Arizona Diamondbacks vs Houston Astros Prediction, 9/18/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Arizona Diamondbacks vs Houston Astros

Date: Friday, September 18, 2020

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: ATSW/FSAZ

Odds/Point Spread: Diamondbacks (+147) Astros (-159)

David Peralta and the Arizona Diamondbacks (19-31, 5th in NL West) head to Minute Maid Park on Friday where they'll meet the Houston Astros (24-25, 2nd in AL West). The Diamondbacks open this game at +147 while the Astros are coming in at -159. The over/under has been set at 8. The expected starting pitchers will be Zac Gallen and Zack Greinke.

Key Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

9/9/2020 Merrill Kelly SP Shoulder Out for the season
9/9/2020 Ketel Marte 2B Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/1/2020 Jeremy Beasley RP Shoulder Out for the season
8/29/2020 Corbin Martin SP Elbow Out for the season
6/29/2020 Silvino Bracho RP Elbow Out for the season

Key Houston Astros Injuries

9/16/2020 Chris Devenski RP Elbow Out for the season
9/16/2020 Blake Taylor RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/16/2020 Aledmys Diaz 2B Quadriceps Probable for Sep 17
9/16/2020 Justin Verlander SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 26
9/5/2020 Rogelio Armenteros RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 23
9/4/2020 Austin Pruitt RP Elbow Out for the season
8/23/2020 Yordan Alvarez DH Knee Out for the season
8/12/2020 Roberto Osuna RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 20

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Diamondbacks have a 19-31 overall record this season. Gallen has taken the hill for 140 innings and has accumulated 162 K's in his MLB career. His ERA is 2.96 (46 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.171. He has surrendered 106 base hits (6.8 hits per nine innings) and has had 58 walks. Gallen (4-8 career win-loss mark) has earned a FIP of 3.74 and he has faced 575 hitters in the major leagues. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.85 and they have given up 187 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the bullpen and they've struck out 195 hitters and walked 107 batters. As a team, Arizona allows 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 5.09. The Diamondbacks pitchers collectively have given up 429 base hits and 246 earned runs. They have allowed 86 home runs this season, ranking them 2nd in the league. Arizona as a pitching staff has walked 213 batters and struck out 442. They have walked 4.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.48 and their FIP as a unit is 5.34.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Arizona is hitting .232, good for 22nd in the league. The Diamondbacks hold a .376 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .304, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 7.7 hits per game. David Peralta is hitting .297 with an on-base percentage of .339. He has 51 hits this season in 172 at bats with 30 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .436 and an OPS+ of 106. Kole Calhoun is hitting .215 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .335. He has totaled 34 hits and he has driven in 31 men in 158 at bats. His OPS+ is 119 while his slugging percentage is at .494. The Diamondbacks have 386 hits, including 88 doubles and 46 home runs. Arizona has walked 152 times so far this season and they have struck out 387 times as a unit. They have left 329 men on base and have a team OPS of .680. They score 4.26 runs per contest and have scored a total of 213 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

So far in his career, Greinke has conceded 2,714 base knocks and he has 2,675 strikeouts in 2,929 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 1,094 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.157 and a FIP of 3.5. He has a SO/W ratio of 3.96 and he has gone up against 11,959 opposing batters in his MLB career. Greinke (208-125 career mark) is the owner of a 3.36 ERA and has conceded 8.3 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.50 and they have given up 175 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .218 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 185 batters and walked 107 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.47. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 387 base knocks and 213 earned runs this season. They have given up 57 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 194 hitters and struck out 412 batters. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.51.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .242, good for 19th in the league. The Astros hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315, which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .240 with an OBP of .343. He has 37 hits this year along with 25 RBI in 154 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .487 with an OPS+ of 121. Alex Bregman is hitting .263 this season and he has an OBP of .368. He has collected 30 hits in 114 at bats while driving in 17 runs. He has an OPS+ of 124 and a slugging percentage of .465. The Astros as a unit have 393 base hits, including 91 doubles and 55 homers. Houston has walked 159 times this year and they have struck out on 367 occasions. They have had 304 men left on base and have an OPS of .727. They have scored 4.86 runs per game and totaled 238 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros (-159)

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