Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ross Detwiler vs. Mike Fiers

The Oakland Athletics head to Minute Maid Park on Wednesday to take on the Houston Astros. The probable pitchers are Ross Detwiler for the Athletics and Mike Fiers for the Astros. The opening line for this game has Oakland at +185 and Houston at -200. The over/under is 8.5. The Athletics have a 58-68-5 over/under mark and a 71-60-0 run line record, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Astros are 59-72-0 against the run line and have a 59-64-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Athletics head into this game with a 57-74 record, and they are 27-38 on the road. Starting pitcher Ross Detwiler has a 1-3 record with an ERA of 5.74 and a WHIP of 1.58. He has 16 strikeouts during his 26.2 innings pitched and he has given up 32 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 10.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.14. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.80 and they have allowed 408 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .239 against the pen while they've been struck out 426 times and walked 154 times this year. As a unit, Oakland has given up 9.22 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.52 hitters per nine. They are 24th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.51. The Athletics pitchers have collectively given up 1,188 base hits and 581 earned runs. They have allowed 155 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 389 batters and struck out 969. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 4.33.

As a team, Oakland is hitting .248, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .254 average on the road. The Athletics have a .398 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .303 which is good for 28th in the league. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.44 hits per contest. Danny Valencia comes into this game hitting .301 and his on-base percentage is at .353. He has 114 hits this season along with 56 runs scored and 45 runs batted in. He's struck out 89 times and has walked 28 times. Khris Davis is hitting .258 and he has an on-base percentage of .304. He has totaled 118 hits so far while scoring 70 runs and he's driven in 85. He has walked 24 times and has struck out 132 times. The Athletics have 1,105 hits, including 210 doubles and 141 home runs. They've stolen 44 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. Oakland has walked 333 times this season and they've struck out 912 times as a unit. They've left 835 men on base and have a team OPS of .701. They score 3.97 runs per contest and have scored a total of 520 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this game with a 37-29 home mark and a 69-62 overall record. With an ERA of 4.40, Mike Fiers has a 9-6 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He has 108 strikeouts over the 139 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 150 hits. He has allowed 9.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.59. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.44 and they have given up 380 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 475 times and walking 101 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.97 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.58 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.96. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,185 base knocks and 523 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 153 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 340 hitters and struck out 1,135. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.84.

As a team, they are batting .247, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .237 average at home. The Astros hold a .419 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 8.49 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .259 and he has an OBP of .359. He has 135 hits this year along with 97 runs scored and 73 RBI. He's struck out 135 times and has walked on 72 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .354 and he has an OBP of .414. He has collected 183 hits so far while he's scored 93 runs and drove in 88. He has earned a walk 51 times and has punched out 60 times. The Astros as a unit have 1,112 base hits, including 243 doubles and 163 homers. They have 87 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 36 times. Houston as a team has walked 466 times this year and they have struck out 1,198 times. They've had 903 men left on base and have an OPS of .741. They score 4.57 runs per game and have totaled 599 runs so far this season.

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 58-68-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 71-60-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 59-64-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 59-72-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Oakland Athletics

08/30/16 P Sean Manaea Back "?" for next scheduled start
08/21/16 P Jesse Hahn Shoulder "?" for next scheduled start
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 Arm 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)
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
04/05/16 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 R.J. Alvarez Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Jarrod Parker Elbow 60-day DL (3/13), out for season

Houston Astros

08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/07/16 LF Colby Rasmus Ear 15-day DL (8/5)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

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