Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics 4-29-2016 Free MLB Picks & Predictions
by Tony Sink - 4/28/2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
O.co Coliseum
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Mike Fiers vs. Sean Manaea
The Houston Astros visit O.co Coliseum on Friday to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Mike Fiers for the Astros and Sean Manaea for the Athletics. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -115 and Oakland at +105. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Astros have a 13-8-1 over/under record and a 7-15-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 32% of the time. The Athletics are 11-11-0 against the run line and have a 8-12-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.
The Astros head into this matchup with a 7-15 record, including 3-9 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Fiers has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 5.73 and a WHIP of 1.36. He has 17 strikeouts over his 22 innings pitched and he has given up 27 hits so far this season. He has allowed 11 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.52. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.42 and they have given up 75 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the bullpen while being struck out 80 times and walking 19 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 10.31 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.73 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.97. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 220 base hits and 106 earned runs. They have allowed 30 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 62 batters and struck out 165. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.42.
As a team, Houston is batting .238, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .231 average away from home. The Astros hold a .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315 which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 7.95 hits per game. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .330 and his on-base percentage is at .422. He has 29 hits this season along with 20 runs scored and 13 runs batted in. He's struck out 14 times and has walked 11 times. Carlos Correa is hitting .275 and he has an on-base percentage of .363. He has totaled 22 hits so far while scoring 11 runs and he's driven in 9. He has walked 10 times and has struck out 20 times. The Astros have 175 hits, including 46 doubles and 28 home runs. They've stolen 18 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 8 times. Houston has walked 77 times this season and they've struck out 224 times as a unit. They've left 146 men on base and have a team OPS of .739. They score 3.91 runs per contest and have scored a total of 86 runs so far this year.
Oakland comes into this matchup with a 3-7 home record and a 11-11 overall mark. Sean Manaea is making his season debut for the A's. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.93 and they have given up 69 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .239 against the Athletics bullpen while being struck out 67 times and walking 13 times this season. As a team, Oakland has allowed 8.54 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.04 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.56. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 187 base knocks and 78 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 22 home runs this year and they give up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a staff has walked 67 hitters and struck out 176. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.93.
As a team, they are batting .238, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .211 average at home. The Athletics hold a .379 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .287 which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.14 hits per contest. Stephen Vogt comes into this matchup batting .269 and he has an OBP of .306. He has 18 hits this year along with 9 runs scored and 5 RBI. He's struck out 11 times and has walked on 3 occasions. Josh Reddick is hitting .276 and he has an OBP of .349. He has collected 21 hits so far while he's scored 9 runs and drove in 11. He has earned a walk 9 times and has punched out 12 times. The Athletics as a unit have 179 base hits, including 27 doubles and 23 homers. They have 11 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 3 times. Oakland as a team has walked 49 times this year and they have struck out 153 times. They've had 140 men left on base and have an OPS of .667. They score 3.55 runs per game and have totaled 78 runs so far this season.
Houston Astros Betting Trends
The Houston Astros are 13-8-1 against the over/under so far this season
The Houston Astros are 7-15-0 against the run line so far this season
Oakland Athletics Betting Trends
The Oakland Athletics are 8-12-2 against the over/under so far this season
The Oakland Athletics are 11-11-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Houston Astros
04/28/16 CF Carlos Gomez Hand injured last game, "?" Friday vs. Oakland Athletics
04/04/16 P Lance McCuller Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/02/16 C Max Stassi Wrist 15-day DL (3/29)
Oakland Athletics
04/22/16 3B Danny Valencia Hamstring 15-day DL (4/21)
04/10/16 P Henderson Alvarez Shoulder 15-day DL (4/6)
04/05/16 P Felix Doubront Elbow 60-day DL (4/4); out for season
04/03/16 2B Eric Sogard Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 CF Sam Fuld Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Jarrod Parker Elbow 60-day DL (3/13)
03/31/16 P R.J. Alvarez Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
Tony'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 Tony Sink
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks