Saturday, September 19, 2015

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Sonny Gray (13-7) vs. Scott Kazmir (7-10)

The Oakland Athletics head to Minute Maid Park on Saturday to take on the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Sonny Gray for the Athletics and Scott Kazmir for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Oakland at +127 and Houston at -137. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Athletics, with a 70-77 run line record, cover the spread 48% of the time. They also have a 76-62 over/under record. The Astros are 77-70 against the run line and have a 66-73 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Athletics come into this game with a 63-84 record, and they are 30-42 away from home. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray holds a 13-7 record with an earned run average of 2.56 and a WHIP of 1.05. He's pitched 196.2 innings thus far while surrendering 153 hits over that time and when he starts, the Athletics are 16-13. Against the over/under, the Athletics are 14-11 in his starts. His teammates are averaging 4.4 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.48 and they have given up 426 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 422 and walked 154 batters this season while opposing teams hit .244 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 3.95, they are 15th in the league.

Oakland ranks 16th in the league in team batting average at .252 while hitting .246 on the road. The Athletics hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312 which is good for 20th in baseball. With 138 hits, Brett Lawrie leads the team while his team ranks 9th in hits per game with 8.72.

With a 77-70 overall record, Houston will come into this game 48-24 at home. With an earned run average of 2.63, Scott Kazmir will come into this game holding a 7-10 record and a 1.13 WHIP. He's pitched 171.1 innings thus far while surrendering 140 hits over that time in which the Astros are 11-17. Against the over/under, the Astros are 11-15 when he starts. His teammates score an average of 3.4 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.13 and they have given up 323 base hits on the year. The Astros bullpen has struck out 413 batters and walked 125 this season while opposing teams have hit .209 against them. Houston has a team average of 8.11 hits per game and are averaging 7.89 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.52, 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 .423 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 1,481 assists and 3,932 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Astros have accumulated 71 errors while having 1,479 assists and 3,924 put outs leading to a .987 fielding percentage.

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 76-62 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 70-77 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 66-73 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 77-70 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

09/18/15 P Luke Gregerson Personal probable Friday vs. Oakland Athletics
09/17/15 CF Carlos Gomez Side "?" Friday vs. Oakland Athletics
09/11/15 P Scott Feldman Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (9/14); out for season
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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