Saturday, July 9, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Kendall Graveman vs. Lance McCullers

The Oakland Athletics visit Minute Maid Park on Saturday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Kendall Graveman for the Athletics and Lance McCullers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Oakland at +171 and Houston at -181. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Athletics have a 42-41-3 over/under record and a 44-42-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Astros are 39-47-0 against the run line and have a 38-43-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Athletics head into this matchup with a 37-49 record, including 20-23 on the road. Starting pitcher Kendall Graveman has a 4-6 record with an earned run average of 4.57 and a WHIP of 1.50. He has 58 strikeouts over his 86.2 innings pitched and he has given up 99 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.88. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.25 and they have given up 293 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the bullpen while being struck out 278 times and walking 96 times this season. As a team, Oakland has allowed 9.53 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.64 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.74. The Athletics pitchers have collectively given up 804 base hits and 400 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 277 batters and struck out 645. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.42 and their FIP as a unit is 4.46.

As a team, Oakland is batting .250, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .258 average away from home. The Athletics hold a .396 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .303 which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.52 hits per game. Jed Lowrie comes into this game hitting .279 and his on-base percentage is at .335. 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 .296 and he has an on-base percentage of .374. He has totaled 53 hits so far while scoring 23 runs and he's driven in 19. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 25 times. The Athletics have 733 hits, including 138 doubles and 87 home runs. They've stolen 36 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 13 times. Oakland has walked 213 times this season and they've struck out 571 times as a unit. They've left 544 men on base and have a team OPS of .699. They score 4.1 runs per contest and have scored a total of 353 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 26-18 home record and a 46-40 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.57, Lance McCullers has a 4-2 record and a 1.57 WHIP. He has 66 strikeouts over the 53 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 53 hits. He has allowed 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.63. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.17 and they have given up 247 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 303 times and walking 65 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.94 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.24 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.88. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 779 base knocks and 338 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 233 hitters and struck out 719. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.82.

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .236 average at home. The Astros hold a .418 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8.3 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .346 and he has an OBP of .418. He has 117 hits this year along with 64 runs scored and 49 RBI. He's struck out 35 times and has walked on 40 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .262 and he has an OBP of .359. He has collected 82 hits so far while he's scored 42 runs and drove in 52. He has earned a walk 44 times and has punched out 81 times. The Astros as a unit have 714 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 335 times this year and they have struck out 800 times. They've had 595 men left on base and have an OPS of .743. They score 4.5 runs per game and have totaled 387 runs so far this season.

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 42-41-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 44-42-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 38-43-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 39-47-0 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

Tony's Pick: Take the Athletics

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