Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/9/2020

Game: Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics

Date: Sunday, August 9, 2020

Location: Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA

TV: ATSW/NSCA

Odds/Point Spread: Astros (+119) Athletics (-129)

Oakland Coliseum is the site where Matt Chapman and the Oakland Athletics (10-4, 1st in AL West) will take on the Houston Astros (6-7, 2nd in AL West) on Sunday. The Athletics open this contest at -129 while the Astros are priced at +119. The over/under has been set at 8.5. The pitchers taking the mound will be Cristian Javier and Jesus Luzardo.

Key Houston Astros Injuries

8/8/2020 George Springer CF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
8/8/2020 Chris Devenski RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 17
8/8/2020 Joe Biagini RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 17
8/8/2020 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 8
8/8/2020 Aledmys Diaz DH Groin Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
8/7/2020 Austin Pruitt RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
8/4/2020 Roberto Osuna RP Elbow Out for the season
8/1/2020 Jose Urquidy SP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
8/1/2020 Yordan Alvarez DH Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 11
7/26/2020 Justin Verlander SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
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 6-7 overall record this season. Javier (1-0) has a FIP of 2.95 while he has faced 46 opposing hitters. His ERA is 1.48 (2 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 0.738. He has surrendered 7 hits (5.2 hits per nine innings) and has had 2 free passes. Javier has thrown 12 innings and is sitting with 11 punchouts so far this season. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.39 and they have given up 66 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the bullpen and they've struck out 62 hitters and walked 41 batters. As a team, Houston allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 115 base hits and 57 earned runs. They have allowed 13 home runs this season, ranking them 21st in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 69 batters and struck out 113. They have walked 5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.36.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .242, good for 11th in the league. The Astros hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Carlos Correa is hitting .375 with an on-base percentage of .464. He has 18 hits this season in 48 at bats with 6 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .583 and an OPS+ of 192. Michael Brantley is hitting .341 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .426. He has totaled 14 hits and he has driven in 6 men in 41 at bats. His OPS+ is 162 while his slugging percentage is at .512. The Astros have 115 hits, including 26 doubles and 17 home runs. Houston has walked 60 times so far this season and they have struck out 111 times as a unit. They have left 102 men on base and have a team OPS of .747. They score 5.62 runs per contest and have scored a total of 73 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Oakland has a 10-4 overall mark this year. So far in his career, Luzardo has allowed 13 base knocks while he has totaled 28 K's in 23 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 5 ER's while holding a WHIP of 0.905 and being the owner of a FIP of 2.5. He has a SO/W ratio of 3.50 and he has gone up against 92 batters during his pro baseball career. Luzardo (0-0 mark in his career) is the owner of a 1.94 earned run average while giving up 5.0 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 1.62 and they have given up 43 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .178 against the Athletics bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 68 batters and walked 16 opposing hitters. As a team, Oakland allows 7.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 2.82. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 108 base knocks and 41 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 37 hitters and struck out 126 batters. They give up a walk 2.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.11 while their FIP as a staff is 2.76.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .208, good for 25th in the league. The Athletics hold a .354 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 6.7 hits per contest. Matt Chapman comes into this matchup batting .211 with an OBP of .262. He has 12 hits this year along with 4 RBI in 57 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .386 with an OPS+ of 86. Ramon Laureano is hitting .292 this season and he has an OBP of .410. He has collected 14 hits in 48 at bats while driving in 10 runs. He has an OPS+ of 181 and a slugging percentage of .563. The Athletics as a unit have 94 base hits, including 12 doubles and 16 homers. Oakland has walked 64 times this year and they have struck out on 144 occasions. They have had 94 men left on base and have an OPS of .674. They have scored 4.36 runs per game and totaled 61 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros (+119)

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