Friday, July 8, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Daniel Mengden vs. Collin McHugh

The Oakland Athletics head to Minute Maid Park on Friday to take on the Houston Astros. The probable pitchers are Daniel Mengden for the Athletics and Collin McHugh for the Astros. The opening line for this game has Oakland at +138 and Houston at -148. The over/under is 8.5. The Athletics have a 42-40-3 over/under mark and a 43-42-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Astros are 39-46-0 against the run line and have a 38-42-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Athletics head into this game with a 36-49 record, and they are 19-23 on the road. Starting pitcher Daniel Mengden has a 1-4 record with an ERA of 3.48 and a WHIP of 1.32. He has 31 strikeouts during his 31 innings pitched and he has given up 28 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.88. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.30 and they have allowed 293 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the pen while they've been struck out 275 times and walked 96 times this year. As a unit, Oakland has given up 9.6 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.58 hitters per nine. They are 27th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.78. The Athletics pitchers have collectively given up 801 base hits and 399 earned runs. They have allowed 103 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 275 batters and struck out 632. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 4.50.

As a team, Oakland is hitting .251, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .261 average on the road. The Athletics have a .398 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .304 which is good for 27th in the league. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.58 hits per contest. Jed Lowrie comes into this game hitting .283 and his on-base percentage is at .339. He has 72 hits this season along with 24 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. He's struck out 45 times and has walked 22 times. Josh Reddick is hitting .303 and he has an on-base percentage of .382. He has totaled 53 hits so far while scoring 22 runs and he's driven in 19. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 25 times. The Athletics have 729 hits, including 137 doubles and 87 home runs. They've stolen 36 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 13 times. Oakland has walked 208 times this season and they've struck out 569 times as a unit. They've left 538 men on base and have a team OPS of .702. They score 4.12 runs per contest and have scored a total of 350 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this game with a 26-17 home mark and a 46-39 overall record. With an ERA of 4.50, Collin McHugh has a 5-6 record and a 1.45 WHIP. He has 91 strikeouts over the 96 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 111 hits. He has allowed 10.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.81. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.18 and they have given up 246 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 303 times and walking 63 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.99 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.31 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.91. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 775 base knocks and 336 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 91 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 228 hitters and struck out 717. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.81.

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .239 average at home. The Astros hold a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 8.36 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .350 and he has an OBP of .422. He has 117 hits this year along with 64 runs scored and 49 RBI. He's struck out 33 times and has walked on 40 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .265 and he has an OBP of .360. He has collected 82 hits so far while he's scored 42 runs and drove in 52. He has earned a walk 43 times and has punched out 81 times. The Astros as a unit have 711 base hits, including 150 doubles and 110 homers. They have 64 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 24 times. Houston as a team has walked 333 times this year and they have struck out 787 times. They've had 591 men left on base and have an OPS of .747. They score 4.54 runs per game and have totaled 386 runs so far this season.

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 42-40-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 43-42-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 38-42-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 39-46-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Oakland Athletics

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)

Houston Astros

No key injuries to report

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros

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