Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros Prediction, 8/29/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros

Date: Saturday, August 29, 2020

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: ATSW/NSCA

Odds/Point Spread: Athletics (+112) Astros (-122)

Marcus Semien and the Oakland Athletics (22-10, 1st in AL West) head to Minute Maid Park on Saturday where they'll take on the Houston Astros (17-14, 2nd in AL West). The Athletics open this contest at +112 while the Astros are coming in at -122. The total opens at 9. The pitchers taking the mound will be Frankie Montas and Zack Greinke.

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

8/27/2020 Matt Chapman 3B Head Probable for Aug 28
8/21/2020 Burch Smith RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
8/10/2020 A.J RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1

Key Houston Astros Injuries

8/28/2020 Aledmys Diaz DH Groin Expected to be out until at least Aug 29
8/26/2020 George Springer CF Elbow Probable for Aug 28
8/25/2020 Chris Devenski RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
8/25/2020 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
8/24/2020 Alex Bregman 3B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 12
8/23/2020 Yordan Alvarez DH Knee Out for the season
8/23/2020 Jose Urquidy SP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 28

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Athletics have a 22-10 overall record this season. Montas has taken the ball for 237 innings and is sitting with 230 strikeouts so far in his MLB career. His ERA is 4.02 (106 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.379. He has allowed 238 base knocks (9.0 hits per nine innings) and has 89 free passes. Montas (17-11 career record) has a FIP of 3.99 and he has gone up against 1,025 opposing batters during his time in the majors. The bullpen has an earned run average of 1.88 and they have given up 92 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .176 against the bullpen and they've struck out 137 hitters and walked 43 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.35. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 258 base hits and 108 earned runs. They have allowed 31 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 96 batters and struck out 270. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.22 and their FIP as a unit is 3.77.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Oakland is hitting .223, good for 25th in the league. The Athletics hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 7.4 hits per game. Marcus Semien is hitting .234 with an on-base percentage of .291. He has 32 hits this season in 137 at bats with 12 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .387 and an OPS+ of 88. Robbie Grossman is hitting .263 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .427. He has totaled 21 hits and he has driven in 15 men in 80 at bats. His OPS+ is 172 while his slugging percentage is at .550. The Athletics have 236 hits, including 46 doubles and 45 home runs. Oakland has walked 138 times so far this season and they have struck out 322 times as a unit. They have left 216 men on base and have a team OPS of .733. They score 4.97 runs per contest and have scored a total of 159 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Greinke (206-123 career win-loss record) has earned a 3.34 ERA while surrendering 8.3 hits per 9 innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.94 and he has gone up against 11,865 hitters during his career. During his MLB career, Greinke has given up 2,687 base hits and he has 2,651 punchouts in 2,907 innings pitched. He has conceded 1,079 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.156 and a FIP of 3.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.40 and they have given up 124 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .220 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 127 batters and walked 74 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.29. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 251 base knocks and 134 earned runs this season. They have given up 36 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 135 hitters and struck out 270 batters. They give up a walk 4.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 4.51.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 18th in the league. The Astros hold a .418 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this matchup batting .288 with an OBP of .368. He has 32 hits this year along with 19 RBI in 111 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .423 with an OPS+ of 113. Michael Brantley is hitting .269 this season and he has an OBP of .347. He has collected 18 hits in 67 at bats while driving in 9 runs. He has an OPS+ of 108 and a slugging percentage of .433. The Astros as a unit have 258 base hits, including 62 doubles and 35 homers. Houston has walked 118 times this year and they have struck out on 237 occasions. They have had 202 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They have scored 5.35 runs per game and totaled 166 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros (-122)

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