Collin McHugh (1-0, 1.50 ERA) and the Houston Astros (3-5) go up against Drew Pomeranz (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and the Oakland Athletics (5-4) in the last of a three-game division series at Minute Maid Park. The Athletics won the last game 4-0 and Oakland leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and will air on ROOT-SW.
In his most recent outing, McHugh pitched 6.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out four and walking two in a 5-1 victory over the Rangers. Jake Marisnick (.318 ) went 1 for 4 yesterday. In his career against the Astros, Pomeranz is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts. Billy Butler (.371 ) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Houston, a -118 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Oakland. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is eight runs. The Astros are 2-2 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -104. They have an SU record of 2-2 against teams in their division and a 1-1 record when they were the favorite in those games. The Astros seem to play better against their division opponents, averaging 3.5 runs per game, well over their season average of 2.4. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in all of baseball with eight steals. Whenever an AL West opponent shows up on the calendar, the Astros seem to struggle with pitching. They allow an average of 3.7 runs per game, but allow 4.8 against teams from their own division. The Astros don’t give up many walks to opposing batters at Minute Maid Park, ranking fifth in the AL with only 2.0 walks allowed per home game.
On the other side, the Athletics have a record of 1-1 when they are the underdog and are -147 overall with the money line. Against divisional rivals, they are 4-4 SU and 1-1 as the underdog. The Athletics are the top-ranked scoring offense in the AL when playing on the road, averaging eight runs per game so far. Oakland is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 34 extra base hits. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Oakland batters, who rank second in the AL with 5.9 strikeouts per game. The Athletics are a problem for opposing batters, sporting a 2.52 ERA this season. They have a WHIP of 0.93, second best in the MLB. The Oakland pitching staff has been an intimidating group on the road this year, averaging 11.0 strikeouts per game.
The previous two games have all gone Oakland’s way. The right-handed McHugh will take the mound against the Athletics, who have a 3-3 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
Oakland won its last game in a shutout, its fourth of the season. Houston has been shut out two times this season.
The Astros are 1-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Athletics are 0-2 in such matchups.
The Athletics 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 0-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Astros are 0-3. The Athletics have a 1-2 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 17th in home runs, Oakland has hit six this season. Houston ranks 10th with eight home runs.
Ranking 15th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 6.43 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at third with 11.25.
Ranking 27th, Houston is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.596). Oakland ranks in the top five at fifth with an OPS of .810.
The Athletics are 1-3 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Astros are 0-3 when they allow at least one homer.
