Friday, September 18, 2015

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Felix Doubront (3-2) vs. Mike Fiers (2-1)

The Oakland Athletics head to Minute Maid Park on Friday to take on the Houston Astros. Felix Doubront is the probable starter for the Athletics and he'll face Mike Fiers of the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Oakland at +185 and Houston at -200. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Athletics have a 76-61 over/under record and a 69-77 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Astros are 77-69 against the run line and have a 65-73 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Athletics head into this matchup with a 62-84 record, including 29-42 on the road. Felix Doubront has an earned run average of 4.99 and is 3-2 so far on the season while having a 1.53 WHIP. The Athletics are 5-4 over his 57.2 innings pitched and he's also given up 69 hits over that time period. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 6-2. His teammates are averaging 6.4 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.52 and they have given up 423 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 419 and walked 154 batters this season while opposing teams hit .245 against them. Oakland has a team average of 8.51 hits allowed per game and are averaging 7.55 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.96, they are 15th in the league.

Oakland ranks 16th in the league in team batting average at .253 while hitting .247 on the road. The Athletics hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313 which is good for 20th in baseball. With 138 hits, Billy Burns leads the team while his team ranks 9th in hits per game with 8.73.

With a 48-24 home record, Houston will hope to improve on their 77-69 overall mark. Mike Fiers is starting this game 2-1 for the season with an earned run average of 3.07 and a WHIP of 1.07. The Astros have a record of 4-2 over the 44 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 31 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 3-2. His teammates score an average of 5.2 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.03 and they have given up 318 base hits on the year. The Astros bullpen has struck out 409 batters and walked 123 this season while opposing teams have hit .208 against them. Houston has a team average of 8.09 hits per game and are averaging 7.88 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.49, they are 5th in the league.

They rank 27th in the league in team batting average with a .245 average while hitting .249 at home. The Astros hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which is good for 22nd in baseball. With 178 hits, Jose Altuve leads the team while his team ranks 29th in hits per game with 8.22.

Oakland has a team fielding percentage of .980 after having committed 110 errors with 1,472 assists and 3,905 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Astros have accumulated 71 errors while having 1,472 assists and 3,900 put outs leading to a .987 fielding percentage.

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 76-61 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 69-77 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 65-73 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 77-69 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Oakland Athletics

09/17/15 CF Billy Burns Hamstring "?" Friday vs. Houston Astros
09/16/15 P Jesse Chavez Ribs Injury is on the 60 day disabled list
09/07/15 C Stephen Vogt Groin out indefinitely
09/03/15 P Evan Scribner Shoulder out for season
09/02/15 P Chris Bassitt Shoulder out indefinitely
09/02/15 P A.J. Griffin Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (9/1)
08/25/15 P Kendall Graveman Oblique Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/24)
08/19/15 1B Ike Davis Hip Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (8/18)
07/11/15 P Jesse Hahn Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/6)
06/14/15 P Pat Venditte Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/11)
04/05/15 P Jarrod Parker Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)
04/04/15 P Taylor Thompson Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (2/26)

Houston Astros

09/17/15 SS Jed Lowrie Foot is upgraded to probable Thursday vs. Texas Rangers
09/15/15 CF Carlos Gomez Side expected to miss series vs. Texas Rangers
09/11/15 P Scott Feldman Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (9/14); out for season
08/30/15 C Jason Castro Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/29)
05/19/15 P Samuel Deduno Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/14), out for season
04/17/15 P Brad Peacock Hip Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/14); out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros

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