Monday, July 18, 2016

O.co Coliseum

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Fiers vs. Kendall Graveman

The Houston Astros visit O.co Coliseum on Monday to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Mike Fiers for the Astros and Kendall Graveman for the Athletics. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -118 and Oakland at +108. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Astros have a 40-46-5 over/under record and a 40-51-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Athletics are 49-42-0 against the run line and have a 45-43-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 49-42 record, including 21-23 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Fiers has a 6-3 record with an earned run average of 4.35 and a WHIP of 1.36. He has 64 strikeouts over his 93 innings pitched and he has given up 105 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.9. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.13 and they have given up 260 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the bullpen while being struck out 324 times and walking 67 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.29 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.85. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 820 base hits and 354 earned runs. They have allowed 94 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 249 batters and struck out 765. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.77.

As a team, Houston is batting .244, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .251 average away from home. The Astros hold a .415 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8.3 hits per game. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .340 and his on-base percentage is at .412. He has 121 hits this season along with 68 runs scored and 51 runs batted in. He's struck out 38 times and has walked 42 times. Carlos Correa is hitting .263 and he has an on-base percentage of .357. He has totaled 88 hits so far while scoring 46 runs and he's driven in 57. He has walked 45 times and has struck out 86 times. The Astros have 755 hits, including 158 doubles and 114 home runs. They've stolen 70 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 25 times. Houston has walked 341 times this season and they've struck out 843 times as a unit. They've left 620 men on base and have a team OPS of .737. They score 4.48 runs per contest and have scored a total of 408 runs so far this year.

Oakland comes into this matchup with a 19-26 home record and a 40-51 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.37, Kendall Graveman has a 5-6 record and a 1.43 WHIP. He has 61 strikeouts over the 94.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 104 hits. He has allowed 9.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.67. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.21 and they have given up 305 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Athletics bullpen while being struck out 293 times and walking 103 times this season. As a team, Oakland has allowed 9.44 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.59 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.73. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 844 base knocks and 423 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 107 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a staff has walked 293 hitters and struck out 679. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 4.42.

As a team, they are batting .251, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .243 average at home. The Athletics hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .305 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.56 hits per contest. Jed Lowrie comes into this matchup batting .279 and he has an OBP of .330. He has 78 hits this year along with 26 runs scored and 25 RBI. He's struck out 52 times and has walked on 22 occasions. Danny Valencia is hitting .301 and he has an OBP of .352. He has collected 78 hits so far while he's scored 40 runs and drove in 33. He has earned a walk 19 times and has punched out 59 times. The Athletics as a unit have 779 base hits, including 142 doubles and 96 homers. They have 37 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 13 times. Oakland as a team has walked 229 times this year and they have struck out 610 times. They've had 572 men left on base and have an OPS of .706. They score 4.16 runs per game and have totaled 379 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 40-46-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 40-51-0 against the run line so far this season

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 45-43-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 49-42-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

No key injuries to report

Oakland Athletics

07/17/16 P Rich Hill Hand expected to start Sunday vs. Toronto Blue Jays
07/04/16 P Fernando Rodriguez Shoulder 15-day DL (7/4)
07/03/16 C Josh Phegley Knee 15-day DL (7/2)
07/01/16 P Sean Doolittle Shoulder 15-day DL (6/26)
05/11/16 P Chris Bassitt Elbow 60-day DL (4/28); out for season
05/11/16 LF Mark Canha Back 60-day DL (5/9), out for season
04/10/16 P Henderson Alvarez Shoulder 60-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 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 CF Sam Fuld Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Jarrod Parker Elbow 60-day DL (3/13), out for season
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