Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/8/2020

Game: Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics

Date: Saturday, August 8, 2020

Location: Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA

TV: ATSW/NSCA

Odds/Point Spread: Astros (+117) Athletics (-127)

Oakland Coliseum is the venue where Ramon Laureano and the Oakland Athletics (9-4, 1st in AL West) will take on the Houston Astros (6-6, 2nd in AL West) on Saturday. The Astros open this matchup at +117 while the Athletics are coming in at -127. The O/U has been set at 9. The pitchers taking the mound are Framber Valdez and Frankie Montas.

Key Houston Astros Injuries

8/7/2020 Austin Pruitt RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
8/7/2020 Joe Biagini RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
8/6/2020 George Springer CF Wrist Probable for Aug 7
8/4/2020 Roberto Osuna RP Elbow Out for the season
8/1/2020 Chris Devenski RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 8
8/1/2020 Yordan Alvarez DH Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 11
8/1/2020 Jose Urquidy SP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
7/28/2020 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
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 Oakland Athletics Injuries

8/4/2020 Jordan Weems RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Aug 14
7/21/2020 A.J RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 17

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 6-6 overall record this season. Valdez (8-9 career win-loss record) has a FIP of 4.61 and he has faced 526 batters during his time in the major leagues. His earned run average is 4.42 (58 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.482. He has surrendered 105 base hits (8.0 hits per 9 innings) and has 70 free passes. Valdez has taken the mound for 118 innings and is sitting with 112 strikeouts so far in his MLB career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.47 and they have given up 61 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the bullpen and they've struck out 52 hitters and walked 36 batters. As a team, Houston allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.39. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 105 base hits and 55 earned runs. They have allowed 12 home runs this season, ranking them 21st in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 63 batters and struck out 98. They have walked 5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.49 and their FIP as a unit is 4.46.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .251, good for 8th in the league. The Astros hold a .434 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.0 hits per game. Michael Brantley is hitting .389 with an on-base percentage of .463. He has 14 hits this season in 36 at bats with 6 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .583 and an OPS+ of 193. Carlos Correa is hitting .386 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .471. He has totaled 17 hits and he has driven in 6 men in 44 at bats. His OPS+ is 202 while his slugging percentage is at .614. The Astros have 108 hits, including 24 doubles and 17 home runs. Houston has walked 56 times so far this season and they have struck out 102 times as a unit. They have left 93 men on base and have a team OPS of .780. They score 5.92 runs per contest and have scored a total of 71 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Oakland has a 9-4 overall mark this year. During his career, Montas has conceded 223 base hits while earning 219 strikeouts in 224 innings pitched. He has conceded a total of 93 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.362 and having a FIP of 3.9. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.67 and he has gone up against 963 opposing batters so far in his pro baseball career. Montas (16-10 mark in his career) has earned a 3.74 ERA while conceding 9.0 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 1.80 and they have given up 39 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .178 against the Athletics bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 62 batters and walked 15 opposing hitters. As a team, Oakland allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.05. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 101 base knocks and 40 earned runs this season. They have given up 8 home runs this year, which ranks 29th in Major League Baseball. Oakland as a staff has walked 33 hitters and struck out 117 batters. They give up a walk 2.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.14 while their FIP as a staff is 2.82.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .206, good for 26th in the league. The Athletics hold a .351 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 6.5 hits per contest. Ramon Laureano comes into this matchup batting .295 with an OBP of .400. He has 13 hits this year along with 10 RBI in 44 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .545 with an OPS+ of 172. Matt Chapman is hitting .196 this season and he has an OBP of .255. He has collected 10 hits in 51 at bats while driving in 4 runs. He has an OPS+ of 80 and a slugging percentage of .373. The Athletics as a unit have 84 base hits, including 10 doubles and 15 homers. Oakland has walked 58 times this year and they have struck out on 129 occasions. They have had 80 men left on base and have an OPS of .667. They have scored 4.46 runs per game and totaled 58 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros (+117)

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