Scott Kazmir (6-8, 2.43 ERA) and the Houston Astros (67-56) square off against Zack Greinke (13-2, 1.58 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (67-54) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the second of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park. The Astros won the last game 3-0 and Houston leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 22 and can be seen on SNLA and RTSW.
Kazmir pitched 5.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering six runs, striking out six and walking three in a 9-2 defeat to the Rays. George Springer (.264, 43 Rs, 13 HRs, 29 RBIs, 14 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run and one stolen base. Greinke went 7.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out eight and walking one in a 2-1 win over the Reds in his last outing.
Los Angeles takes on Houston as a -125 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at six runs. The Astros have an overall money line of +434 and a record as the underdog of 27-27. In interleague play, they have had a solid season, earning 5-1 and 11-3 records as the underdog and SU respectively. The Astros have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.8 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.3 runs per game. The Astros lead the MLB in home runs with 166. Houston is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 93 bases. As for the Houston defense and pitching staff, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Astros. The 3.4 runs that Houston’s pitchers allow per home game makes them the top AL staff at home. The Astros are the second-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.19 so far this season.
In games where it is the favorite, Los Angeles has a 60-48 record and an overall money line of -1,185. Los Angeles has put in a great performance against teams in the AL, coming in with a nice record SU ({betdsi.at.al.su_record}) and as the favorite (7-6). The Dodgers can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking fifth in the league with 148 home runs. The Dodgers allow 3.7 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 4.8 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Dodgers are third in the NL with an average of 8.2 hits allowed per game. The Dodgers have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.6 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Astros have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Astros have a 43-36 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Greinke takes the mound. Kazmir (LHP) will be on the hill against the Dodgers, who have a 10-13 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
Los Angeles has won 50% (21-21) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Houston has won 57% (27-20) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Dodgers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Astros have a 12-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 48-13. The Dodgers have a 50-10 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 15th, Los Angeles sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 502 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 526.
Los Angeles tops the league in walks with 419 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 369.
When the Astros hit at least one home run, they are 55-34, well-matched with the Dodgers who are 52-34 when hitting one or more homers.
