Saturday, August 20, 2016

Oriole Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Fiers vs. Chris Tillman

The Houston Astros visit Oriole Park on Saturday to play the Baltimore Orioles. The probable starters are Mike Fiers for the Astros and Chris Tillman for the Orioles. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at +128 and Baltimore at -138. The over/under was set at 9. The Astros have a 53-61-7 over/under record and a 52-69-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 43% of the time. The Orioles are 63-57-0 against the run line and have a 54-63-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 61-60 record, including 27-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Fiers has a 8-6 record with an earned run average of 4.66 and a WHIP of 1.35. He has 96 strikeouts over his 125.2 innings pitched and he has given up 140 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.78. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.43 and they have given up 356 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the bullpen while being struck out 442 times and walking 93 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.62 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.99. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 1,100 base hits and 487 earned runs. They have allowed 136 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 321 batters and struck out 1,055. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.79.

As a team, Houston is batting .245, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .254 average away from home. The Astros hold a .414 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 8.42 hits per game. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .363 and his on-base percentage is at .426. He has 172 hits this season along with 87 runs scored and 75 runs batted in. He's struck out 53 times and has walked 50 times. George Springer is hitting .256 and he has an on-base percentage of .356. He has totaled 123 hits so far while scoring 86 runs and he's driven in 68. He has walked 66 times and has struck out 124 times. The Astros have 1,019 hits, including 223 doubles and 146 home runs. They've stolen 83 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 33 times. Houston has walked 427 times this season and they've struck out 1,109 times as a unit. They've left 841 men on base and have a team OPS of .733. They score 4.44 runs per contest and have scored a total of 537 runs so far this year.

Baltimore comes into this matchup with a 40-19 home record and a 67-53 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.46, Chris Tillman has a 15-4 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 126 strikeouts over the 151 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 130 hits. He has allowed 7.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.08. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.20 and they have given up 352 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Orioles bullpen while being struck out 370 times and walking 162 times this season. As a team, Baltimore has allowed 8.85 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.72 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Orioles pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,041 base knocks and 498 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 134 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Baltimore as a staff has walked 416 hitters and struck out 908. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 4.35.

As a team, they are batting .263, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .272 average at home. The Orioles hold a .450 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.01 hits per contest. Manny Machado comes into this matchup batting .304 and he has an OBP of .361. He has 142 hits this year along with 83 runs scored and 72 RBI. He's struck out 86 times and has walked on 41 occasions. Adam Jones is hitting .275 and he has an OBP of .318. He has collected 128 hits so far while he's scored 71 runs and drove in 71. He has earned a walk 30 times and has punched out 87 times. The Orioles as a unit have 1,080 base hits, including 208 doubles and 183 homers. They have 14 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 9 times. Baltimore as a team has walked 345 times this year and they have struck out 988 times. They've had 788 men left on base and have an OPS of .772. They score 4.72 runs per game and have totaled 566 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 53-61-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 52-69-0 against the run line so far this season

Baltimore Orioles Betting Trends

The Baltimore Orioles are 54-63-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Baltimore Orioles are 63-57-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/07/16 LF Colby Rasmus Ear 15-day DL (8/5)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Baltimore Orioles

08/19/16 P Chris Tillman Shoulder is upgraded to expected to start Saturday vs. Houston Astros
08/19/16 P Dylan Bundy Ankle "?" for next scheduled start
08/13/16 P Darren O'Day Shoulder 15-day DL (8/12)
07/22/16 RF Joey Rickard Thumb 15-day DL (7/21)
07/01/16 P T.J. McFarland Knee 15-day DL (6/29)
06/21/16 P Brian Duensing Elbow 15-day DL (6/20)

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn