Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros Prediction, 5/16/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros

Date: Thursday, May 16, 2024

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

The Houston Astros (17-25) will try to defeat the Oakland Athletics (19-25) at Minute Maid Park on Thursday. The pitchers taking the mound will be Joey Estes and Cristian Javier.

Oakland has a slugging percentage of .387 and have been called out on strikes 418 times, while drawing a walk on 143 occasions. They have amassed 164 runs batted in as well as 323 base knocks on the year, while their batting average is sitting at .222. The Athletics have tallied 62 doubles as a unit and have hit 55 baseballs out of the park. They have racked up 170 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .298. As a squad, the Oakland Athletics are scoring 3.9 runs per game, which has them sitting at 23rd in baseball.

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They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.44 and their pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.33. Athletics pitchers have yielded 41 home runs and also 210 runs in total (25th in the league). Oakland has yielded 371 hits (8.6 per 9 innings) and 186 earned runs. The Athletics are sitting with a team earned run average of 4.30 this season (21st in MLB), and their staff has rung up 354 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 145 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 3.99 as a team on the year.

The Athletics relievers have accumulated a save percentage of 66.7% and stepped onto the hill in 43 save situations. The relievers have inherited 51 base runners for the year with 33.3% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. Athletics bullpen pitchers have entered the contest with players on base 38 times in addition to having 40 appearances in high leverage situations. The Athletics have dispatched 134 relievers to the mound so far this year. The relievers have a total of 28 holds for the year (9th in baseball). They have tallied 10 saves this season and have blown 5 of their 15 save chances.

The Oakland Athletics have a total of 1,168 putouts on the year, as well as 383 assists and 34 errors. Their fielding rate is holding steady at .979 which is 30th in the majors, and have 47 double plays. The Athletics have turned 68.1% of baseballs in play into outs out of 3,504 innings on the diamond, which ranks them 25th in MLB.

Estes (1-1 career win-loss record) is the owner of a FIP of 6.95 while he has faced 64 opposing hitters during his time in the major leagues. He has surrendered 14 hits (8.4 hits per nine innings) and has 2 walks. His earned run average is 5.40 (9 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.067. Estes has pitched in 15 innings and is sitting with 12 K's during his career.

The Astros have a team slugging percentage of .414 and they are earning 4.50 runs per outing (14th in the league). They have 68 two-baggers, while walking 131 times as well as notching 189 runs. Houston has accumulated 49 long balls so far this year to go along with 180 RBIs. They have been rung up on 276 occasions (30th in the league) and have 380 hits. The Houston Astros have earned a team OBP of .327 and a batting average of .261 on the season.

The Houston pitching staff have given up 209 runs on the season while having a team ERA of 4.78 (197 earned runs yielded). They have given up 48 HR's and they allow 5.07 runs per 9 innings (26th in baseball). The Astros have a WHIP of 1.453 in addition to having a FIP of 4.48 as a unit on the campaign. They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 8.60 (356 strikeouts against 174 walks). They are sitting at 22nd in the league as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 365.

Houston bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 23.3% out of their 43 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the hill 41 times in high leverage situations in addition to 28 occasions with runners on base. With 36 save situations, the Astros have compiled 22 holds in addition to 9 blown saves. They rank 30th in MLB with a save percentage of 35.7%, and they have sent 141 relievers to the hill over the course of the season. Houston has had relief pitchers take the mound in 14 save chances and they have tallied 5 saves.

The Houston Astros have gotten 39 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .986 (10th in pro baseball). The Astros have accrued 356 assists, 21 errors and have accounted for 1,113 putouts over the course of the season. In their 3,339 innings on the diamond, the Astros hold a defensive efficiency of 68.0% (26th in professional baseball).

In his career, Javier has surrendered 355 hits while he has earned 555 strikeouts in 491 innings. He has allowed 196 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.130 and having a FIP of 4.2. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.78 and he has faced 2,018 hitters during his career. Javier (32-18 career record) has a 3.59 earned run average while giving up 6.5 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oakland

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