Thursday, May 26, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Kevin Gausman vs. Lance McCullers

The Baltimore Orioles visit Minute Maid Park on Thursday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Kevin Gausman for the Orioles and Lance McCullers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Baltimore at -111 and Houston at +101. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Orioles have a 20-21-2 over/under record and a 23-20-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Astros are 19-27-0 against the run line and have a 23-18-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 41% of the time.

The Orioles head into this matchup with a 26-17 record, including 9-9 on the road. Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 2.70 and a WHIP of 1.12. He has 30 strikeouts over his 36.2 innings pitched and he has given up 33 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.31. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.64 and they have given up 123 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the bullpen while being struck out 126 times and walking 51 times this season. As a team, Baltimore has allowed 8.51 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.55 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 3.75. The Orioles pitchers have collectively given up 363 base hits and 160 earned runs. They have allowed 33 home runs this season and they allow 0.8 homers per nine innings as a staff. Baltimore as a pitching staff has walked 142 batters and struck out 322. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 3.74.

As a team, Baltimore is batting .259, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .255 average away from home. The Orioles hold a .446 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.79 hits per game. Manny Machado comes into this game hitting .307 and his on-base percentage is at .371. He has 54 hits this season along with 34 runs scored and 27 runs batted in. He's struck out 33 times and has walked 17 times. Mark Trumbo is hitting .282 and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 48 hits so far while scoring 24 runs and he's driven in 31. He has walked 11 times and has struck out 49 times. The Orioles have 378 hits, including 74 doubles and 65 home runs. They've stolen 7 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 6 times. Baltimore has walked 131 times this season and they've struck out 354 times as a unit. They've left 281 men on base and have a team OPS of .768. They score 4.49 runs per contest and have scored a total of 193 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 11-13 home record and a 18-28 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.91, Lance McCullers has a 0-1 record and a 1.69 WHIP. He has 11 strikeouts over the 10.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 12 hits. He has allowed 10.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.69. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.61 and they have given up 139 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 172 times and walking 32 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.39 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.93 batters per nine. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.45. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 437 base knocks and 207 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 52 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 119 hitters and struck out 369. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 3.81.

As a team, they are batting .228, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .226 average at home. The Astros hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 27th in baseball with 7.74 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .319 and he has an OBP of .406. He has 58 hits this year along with 39 runs scored and 27 RBI. He's struck out 21 times and has walked on 25 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .250 and he has an OBP of .343. He has collected 44 hits so far while he's scored 22 runs and drove in 21. He has earned a walk 23 times and has punched out 51 times. The Astros as a unit have 356 base hits, including 89 doubles and 57 homers. They have 39 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 14 times. Houston as a team has walked 179 times this year and they have struck out 456 times. They've had 314 men left on base and have an OPS of .710. They score 4.02 runs per game and have totaled 185 runs so far this season.

Baltimore Orioles Betting Trends

The Baltimore Orioles are 20-21-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Baltimore Orioles are 23-20-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 23-18-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 19-27-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Baltimore Orioles

05/03/16 SS J.J. Hardy Foot 15-day DL (5/2)
04/23/16 P Yovani Gallardo Shoulder 15-day DL (4/23)

Houston Astros

05/17/16 CF Carlos Gomez Ribs 15-day DL (5/16)

Tony's Pick: Take the Orioles

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