Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros 4/29/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Trevor Cahill vs. Gerrit Cole

The Oakland Athletics visit Minute Maid Park on Sunday, April 29, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Trevor Cahill for the Athletics and Gerrit Cole for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Oakland at +203 and Houston at -220. The Athletics have a 13-11-2 over/under record and a 12-14-0 run line mark. The Astros are 14-13-0 against the run line and have a 10-15-2 over/under record.

Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 13-11-2 against the over/under

The Oakland Athletics are 12-14-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 10-15-2 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 14-13-0 against the run line

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

04/28/18 P Ryan Buchter Shoulder 10-day DL (04/26)
04/14/18 P Liam Hendriks Groin 10-day DL (04/14)
04/08/18 CF Boog Powell Knee 10-day DL (04/07)
03/29/18 C Josh Phegley Hand 10-day DL (03/26)
03/29/18 P Paul Blackburn Forearm 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jharel Cotton Elbow 60-day DL (03/21)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Athletics have a 14-12 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Trevor Cahill has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 2.25 and a WHIP of 1.08 this season. He has 14 strikeouts over his 12 innings pitched and he's given up 9 hits. He's allowed 6.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.93. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.69 and they have given up 96 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .267 against the bullpen and they've struck out 75 hitters and walked 21 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.1. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 230 base hits and 107 earned runs. They have allowed 31 home runs this season, ranking them 9th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 58 batters and struck out 198. They have walked 2.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit is 4.02.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Oakland is hitting .268, good for 2nd in the league. The Athletics hold a .450 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.3 hits per game. Matt Chapman is hitting .278 with an on-base percentage of .375. He has 27 hits this season in 97 at bats with 15 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .557 and an OPS+ of 158. Jed Lowrie is hitting .349 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .408. He has totaled 38 hits and he has driven in 26 men in 109 at bats. His OPS+ is 181 while his slugging percentage is at .606. The Athletics have 243 hits, including 52 doubles and 34 home runs. Oakland has walked 96 times so far this season and they have struck out 230 times as a unit. They have left 191 men on base and have a team OPS of .796. They score 5.23 runs per contest and have scored a total of 136 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 17-10 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 1.29, Gerrit Cole has a 2-1 record and a 0.77 WHIP. He has 49 strikeouts over the 35 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 19 hits. He's allowing 4.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.26. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.84 and they have given up 58 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .206 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 83 batters and walked 20 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.63. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 181 base knocks and 71 earned runs this season. They have given up 26 home runs this year, which ranks 16th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 71 hitters and struck out 280 batters. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.04 while their FIP as a staff is 3.25.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 8th in the league. The Astros hold a .398 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .330 with an OBP of .395. He has 35 hits this year along with 11 RBI in 106 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .396 with an OPS+ of 129. Carlos Correa is hitting .337 this season and he has an OBP of .400. He has collected 31 hits in 92 at bats while driving in 20 runs. He has an OPS+ of 171 and a slugging percentage of .554. The Astros as a unit have 231 base hits, including 47 doubles and 27 homers. Houston has walked 109 times this year and they have struck out on 244 occasions. They have had 196 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They have scored 4.74 runs per game and totaled 128 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Athletics/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Athletics +203

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