In the third of a four-game series between the Oakland Athletics (49-62) and the Houston Astros (61-50) at O.co Coliseum, Jesse Chavez (5-11, 3.88 ERA) and Collin McHugh (13-5, 4.27 ERA) get the ball. The Athletics won the last game 3-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game starts at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 8 and will air on CSCA and RTSW.
In his most recent outing, Chavez pitched 3.2 innings, giving up six runs, striking out one and walking two in a 9-2 loss to the Orioles. Josh Reddick (.281, 45 Rs, 13 HRs, 58 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday. The Astros were victorious the last time McHugh pitched. He pitched well, going 7.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out six and walking one in a 4-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Luis Valbuena (.213, 50 Rs, 21 HRs, 43 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Oakland, a +107 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Houston. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. The Athletics perform poorly as an underdog with an 18-30 record and have an overall money line of -2,262. They have an SU record of 21-25 against teams in their division and a 7-10 record when they were the underdog in those games. Oakland has averaged 4.6 runs per game during divisional play, higher than its season average of 4.1. Transitioning to the pitching staff, the Athletics don’t give up many hits to opposing batters, ranking third in the AL with only 8.1 hits allowed per game.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Astros come into this game with a win percentage of .593 when playing as the favorite (35-24) and an overall money line of +774. Against divisional foes, they are 28-20 SU and 12-13 as the favorite. The Astros are known for their power, smashing a league-leading 154 home runs. Houston is a terror on the base paths, ranking third in the MLB with 83 stolen bases. Switching gears to Houston’s pitching staff, they have the lowest ERA in the AL at 3.46. They have a WHIP of 1.19, third best in the MLB.
The Astros have gotten the better of the Athletics in head-to-head matchups this season, going 7-4. The Athletics will take on a right-hander (McHugh) in this game and have a 40-41 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Astros will be the right-hander Chavez. They sport a 39-30 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Houston is 23-19, while Oakland is 21-28.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Astros are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Athletics have a 28-2 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Athletics are 38-13. The Astros have a 44-12 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 13th, Oakland is in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 456 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at third with 494.
Ranking 12th, Oakland is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 318 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 335.
The Athletics are 32-25 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Astros are 50-30 when they hit at least one homer.
