Athletics vs. Astros Pick
Will the Houston Astros be able to handle the Oakland Athletics once again when these two close out their series today at 2:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Astros are a big favorite at home, as they are getting odds of -170 to win. The Athletics are listed with odds of +155 to prevail, while the over/under total for the game is set at 10 runs.
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The pitching matchup in this game has Brad Peacock (4-1, 2.82 ERA) on the mound for Houston to face Daniel Gossett (1-2, 4.50) of the Athletics. Peacock has started just six games this year, but has a lot of relief appearances. He isn’t getting deep into games, but allowing limited runs. He has 66 strikeouts over 44.2 innings. He also has 24 walks and a 1.19 WHIP. Gossett is making just his fourth start of the season today. In his previous three, he has allowed eight earned runs over 16 innings. He has 12 strikeouts with two walks and a 1.19 WHIP.
Oakland picked up a 6-4 win on Tuesday in the first game of this series. Houston followed that up with an 11-8 win on Wednesday. The Astros are now 53-26 overall and 24-17 at home. Oakland is 35-43 overall and 13-26 on the road.
Wednesday’s gam saw plenty of hitting. The two teams combined for 25 hits and 19 runs. Houston started fast, scoring nine runs over the first three innings. Houston chased Jesse Hahn after just two innings. He allowed six runs to take his sixth loss of the season. David Paulino wasn’t much better for Houston, allowing seven runs in four innings of work. George Springer hit his 24th home run of the season to lead Houston. He, along with Brian McCann both drove in two runs while Josh Reddick had three hits and drove in three runs. Khris Davis led Oakland with a pair of home runs. He now has 21 on the season. Ryon Healy added his 19th homer of the season as well.
The Astros should continue to hit the ball well at home today. Gossett hasn’t had great showings in his limited starts. While Peacock isn’t getting deep into games during his starts, he still is pitching competitively and has a good bullpen to turn the ball over to. Even if Peacock is to struggle, he should get enough early run support so it won’t matter.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: HOUSTON ASTROS -170