Monday, September 19, 2016

O.co Coliseum

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Brad Peacock vs. Jharel Cotton

The Houston Astros visit O.co Coliseum on Monday to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Brad Peacock for the Astros and Jharel Cotton for the Athletics. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -101 and Oakland at -109. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Astros have a 66-74-8 over/under record and a 68-80-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Athletics are 83-65-0 against the run line and have a 68-75-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 56% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 78-70 record, including 37-37 on the road. Starting pitcher Brad Peacock has a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 2.70 and a WHIP of 1.08. He has 14 strikeouts over his 16.2 innings pitched and he has given up 12 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.88. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 425 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the bullpen while being struck out 559 times and walking 123 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.88 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.57 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.00. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 1,323 base hits and 595 earned runs. They have allowed 169 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 396 batters and struck out 1,278. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.84.

As a team, Houston is batting .246, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .257 average away from home. The Astros hold a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 8.43 hits per game. George Springer comes into this game hitting .251 and his on-base percentage is at .356. He has 147 hits this season along with 109 runs scored and 76 runs batted in. He's struck out 163 times and has walked 85 times. Jose Altuve is hitting .340 and he has an on-base percentage of .400. He has totaled 198 hits so far while scoring 100 runs and he's driven in 94. He has walked 56 times and has struck out 66 times. The Astros have 1,247 hits, including 270 doubles and 188 home runs. They've stolen 96 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 42 times. Houston has walked 520 times this season and they've struck out 1,344 times as a unit. They've left 1,003 men on base and have a team OPS of .741. They score 4.56 runs per contest and have scored a total of 675 runs so far this year.

Oakland comes into this matchup with a 33-42 home record and a 65-83 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.50, Jharel Cotton has a 1-0 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 5 strikeouts over the 12 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 9 hits. He has allowed 6.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.14. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.02 and they have given up 475 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the Athletics bullpen while being struck out 488 times and walking 176 times this season. As a team, Oakland has allowed 9.22 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.47 batters per nine. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.54. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,343 base knocks and 661 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 168 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a staff has walked 433 hitters and struck out 1,087. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.25.

As a team, they are batting .249, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .239 average at home. The Athletics hold a .398 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306 which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 8.47 hits per contest. Danny Valencia comes into this matchup batting .289 and he has an OBP of .347. He has 125 hits this year along with 69 runs scored and 51 RBI. He's struck out 104 times and has walked on 36 occasions. Khris Davis is hitting .252 and he has an OBP of .307. He has collected 130 hits so far while he's scored 80 runs and drove in 96. He has earned a walk 35 times and has punched out 153 times. The Athletics as a unit have 1,253 base hits, including 242 doubles and 157 homers. They have 47 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 21 times. Oakland as a team has walked 397 times this year and they have struck out 1,040 times. They've had 953 men left on base and have an OPS of .704. They score 4.12 runs per game and have totaled 610 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 66-74-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 68-80-0 against the run line so far this season

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 68-75-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 83-65-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

09/17/16 3B Alex Bregman Hamstring out indefinitely
09/06/16 P Dallas Keuchel Shoulder out indefinitely
08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Oakland Athletics

09/08/16 RF Andrew Lambo Lower Body 60-day DL (7/4)
08/17/16 CF Tyler Ladendorf Wrist 15-day DL (8/17)
08/16/16 2B Jed Lowrie Foot 60-day DL (8/4); out for season
08/07/16 P Sonny Gray Elbow 15-day DL (8/7)
08/07/16 P Henderson Alvarez Shoulder 60-day DL (4/6), out for season
07/23/16 P Fernando Rodriguez Shoulder 60-day DL (7/4)
07/03/16 C Josh Phegley Knee 60-day DL (7/2)
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
04/05/16 P Frankie Montas Ribs 60-day DL (2/20)
04/05/16 P Felix Doubront Elbow 60-day DL (4/4); out for season
04/03/16 2B Eric Sogard Knee 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