Brett Oberholtzer (0-0, 3.00 ERA) and Ubaldo Jimenez (3-3, 3.14 ERA) take the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Houston Astros (31-20) and the Baltimore Orioles (23-26) at Minute Maid Park. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 1 and can be seen on MASN2 and ROOT-SW.
Oberholtzer pitched 3.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out three and walking two in a 4-3 defeat to the Giants. Jake Marisnick (.275, 18 Rs, 3 HRs, 16 RBIs, 10 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3. Jimenez is 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA against the Astros in his career. He takes on a below-average Houston offense that’s batting just .237.
Houston is a slim -110 favorite at home against Baltimore. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently eight runs. The Astros have an overall money line of +1,193 and a record as the favorite of 12-10. The Astros are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 165. Houston is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 43 bases. Turning to the pitchers, the Astros are the top team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.15 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Astros, who rank fifth in the AL in strikeouts per game with 7.8.
In the other locker room, Baltimore is coming in with an overall money line of -331 and a disappointing record of 7-14 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-3 record, and a 5-5 record SU. Offensively, the Orioles have really sputtered in the last 10 games. They have decreased their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 3.0 during that stretch. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Orioles are fifth in the AL on the road with an average of 8.1 hits allowed per away game.
The Orioles lead the season series, 2-1. The Astros have a great 19-11 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Jimenez takes the mound. Oberholtzer (LHP) will be on the hill against the Orioles, who have a 4-5 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
The Astros are 3-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Orioles are 1-1 in such matchups.
The Orioles managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Astros who are heading in with a 17-6 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 19-7. The Orioles have a 17-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 16th, Baltimore sits in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 207 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 219.
Ranking 22nd, Baltimore is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 123 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 165.
The Astros are 23-11 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Orioles are 19-14 when they hit at least one homer.
