Houston Astros vs Arizona Diamondbacks Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/5/2020

Game: Houston Astros vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Location: Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ

TV: ATSW/FSAZ

Odds/Point Spread: Astros (-165) Diamondbacks (+144)

Chase Field is the site where Starling Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks (3-7, 5th in NL West) will play the Houston Astros (5-4, 2nd in AL West) on Wednesday. The Astros open this contest at -165 while the Diamondbacks are coming in at +144. The O/U opens at 9.5. The pitchers who are expected to start are Lance McCullers Jr. and Robbie Ray.

Key Houston Astros Injuries

8/4/2020 Roberto Osuna RP Elbow Out for the season
8/1/2020 Yordan Alvarez DH Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 11
8/1/2020 Chris Devenski RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 8
8/1/2020 Jose Urquidy SP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
7/28/2020 Joe Biagini RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 6
7/28/2020 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
7/27/2020 Austin Pruitt RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 30
7/26/2020 Justin Verlander SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
7/25/2020 Aledmys Diaz DH Groin Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
7/24/2020 Cionel Perez RP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
7/23/2020 Rogelio Armenteros RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 15

Key Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

7/23/2020 Corbin Martin SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
6/29/2020 Silvino Bracho RP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 5-4 overall record this season. McCullers (30-22 career mark) holds a FIP of 3.34 and he has faced 1,957 hitters during his time in the majors. His ERA is 3.71 (191 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.287. He has surrendered 411 base hits (8.0 hits per nine innings) and has had 185 free passes. McCullers has pitched in 463 innings and has totaled 519 punchouts so far in his career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 1.93 and they have given up 40 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .195 against the bullpen and they've struck out 48 hitters and walked 26 batters. As a team, Houston allows 7.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.49. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 71 base hits and 34 earned runs. They have allowed 8 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 49 batters and struck out 90. They have walked 5 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 3.96.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .255, good for 5th in the league. The Astros hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .354, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.2 hits per game. Josh Reddick is hitting .250 with an on-base percentage of .351. He has 8 hits this season in 32 at bats with 4 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .500 and an OPS+ of 136. George Springer is hitting .182 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 6 hits and he has driven in 7 men in 33 at bats. His OPS+ is 97 while his slugging percentage is at .364. The Astros have 83 hits, including 18 doubles and 9 home runs. Houston has walked 47 times so far this season and they have struck out 76 times as a unit. They have left 74 men on base and have a team OPS of .759. They score 5.78 runs per contest and have scored a total of 52 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Ray (47-48 career mark) has a 4.16 earned run average and has surrendered 8.1 hits per 9 innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.70 and he has faced 3,438 opposing hitters thus far in his career. In his MLB career, Ray has given up 721 base knocks while totaling 985 punchouts in 799 innings pitched. He has allowed a total of 369 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.359 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.1. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.05 and they have given up 26 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .172 against the Diamondbacks bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 43 batters and walked 23 opposing hitters. As a team, Arizona allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.5 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.44. The Diamondbacks pitchers as a team have surrendered 76 base knocks and 52 earned runs this season. They have given up 18 home runs this year, which ranks 1st in Major League Baseball. Arizona as a staff has walked 48 hitters and struck out 100 batters. They give up a walk 5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 5.22.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .192, good for 28th in the league. The Diamondbacks hold a .265 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .268, which is good for 29th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 6.1 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .300 with an OBP of .432. He has 9 hits this year along with 2 RBI in 30 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .367 with an OPS+ of 126. Ketel Marte is hitting .308 this season and he has an OBP of .333. He has collected 12 hits in 39 at bats while driving in 2 runs. He has an OPS+ of 119 and a slugging percentage of .462. The Diamondbacks as a unit have 61 base hits, including 15 doubles and 2 homers. Arizona has walked 28 times this year and they have struck out on 82 occasions. They have had 60 men left on base and have an OPS of .533. They have scored 2.7 runs per game and totaled 27 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Diamondbacks (+144)

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