Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros Prediction, 4/8/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest

Odds/Point Spread: Oakland (+149) Houston (-159)

Cole Irvin and the Oakland Athletics (0-6, 5th in AL West) are headed to Minute Maid Park on Thursday where they'll meet the Houston Astros (5-1, 1st in AL West). The line on this matchup has the Athletics priced at +149 and the Astros are at -159. The over/under has been set at 9.5. The pitchers taking the mound will be Cole Irvin and Cristian Javier.

The Athletics have accumulated 8 doubles as a team and have smacked 2 balls out of the stadium. Oakland has a slugging percentage of .265 and have been called out on strikes 55 times, while taking a walk on 19 occasions. As a unit, the Oakland Athletics are notching 2.2 runs per game, which is 29th in baseball. They have 13 runs batted in in addition to 32 base knocks so far this year, while their batting average sits at .169. They have tallied 13 runs while having a team OBP of .257.

The Athletics have compiled a team ERA of 8.00 on the year (30th in baseball), and they have rung up 44 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 27 opposing hitters and their FIP is 6.59 as a squad over the course of the season. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 1.63 and the pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.83. Athletics pitchers have yielded 13 long balls and 50 runs in total (1st in MLB).

The Athletics have dispatched 24 relievers to the mound on the year. The relievers have inherited 15 base runners this season with 46.7% of them crossed home plate. Athletics pitchers have entered the contest with runners on base in 8 outings as well as 2 contests with high leverage.

Irvin has taken the ball for 49 frames and has totaled 37 strikeouts in his career. His ERA is 6.89 (38 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.570. He has given up 63 base knocks (11.4 hits per 9 innings) and has 15 free passes. Irvin (2-3 mark in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 5.03 and he has faced 225 opposing batters during his time in the major leagues.

Houston has a total of 12 home runs so far this year and 41 RBIs. They have 14 doubles, while walking 24 times as well as scoring 45 runs. The Houston Astros have recorded a team on-base percentage of .371 and a team batting average of .295 over the course of the season. The Astros hold a slugging % of .523 and they tally 7.50 runs per contest (3rd in baseball). They have been called out on strikes on 51 occasions (12th in the league) and have notched a total of 65 base knocks.

The Houston pitching staff have allowed 18 runs on the year while having a team ERA of 2.72 (16 earned runs conceded). They have given up 3 long balls and they surrender 3.06 runs per 9 innings (4th in the league). The Astros have a WHIP of 1.075 and are the owners of a FIP of 3.61 as a squad for the year. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.42 (46 strikeouts vs 19 bases on balls). They come in at 14th in MLB as a staff in total hits allowed with 38.

Sitting with 2 save opportunities, the Astros have 6 holds and also 1 blown save. Houston has had relievers enter the game in 9 save situations and they have come away with 1 save. Their bullpen pitchers have taken the field in 7 games with high leverage and also 6 contests with runners on base. Houston relievers have an inherited score rate of 29.0% of 14 inherited runners. They are currently ranked 16th in MLB holding a save rate of 50.0%, and they have sent 19 bullpen pitchers to the mound so far this season.

Javier (5-2 career win-loss record) has a 3.57 ERA while allowing 6.1 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.22 and he has gone up against 229 opposing batters during his MLB career. He has conceded 23 ER's while holding a WHIP of 0.983 and a FIP of 4.8. In his pro baseball career, Javier has allowed 39 hits while accumulating 58 strikeouts in 58 frames.

Who will win tonight's MLB game ATS?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Houston (-159)

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