Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 4.24 ERA) and the Oakland Athletics (8-11) go up against Asher Wojciechowski (0-1, 6.00 ERA) and the Houston Astros (10-7) in the last of a three-game division series at O.C. Coliseum. The Astros won the last game 9-3 and Houston leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Apr. 26 and will air on ROOT-SW and CSN-CA.
Pomeranz has a 6.28 ERA and a 0-2 record in his career against the Astros, but faces a struggling Houston offense that’s hitting just .224 on the year. Josh Reddick (.357, 3 Rs, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 2 SBs) kept up his strong start yesterday, going 2 for 2 with one run. In his pitching opportunities against the Athletics, Wojciechowski is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA, four strikeouts and one walk. Jed Lowrie (.296, 8 Rs, 3 HRs, 9 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs and two RBIs.
Oakland is a -156 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Athletics have a losing record of 3-6 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of -351. They have struggled as the favorite over their last 10 games, going 0-3. The Athletics will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, Oakland has only averaged 3.6 runs per game compared to the 4.8 they’ve averaged on the season. The Athletics come into the game with the AL’s top ranked home scoring offense, averaging 6.1 runs per game in their own ballpark. The Athletics are an exceptional hitting team with an AL-best 11.1 hits per home game. As for the pitching staff, the Athletics rank fourth in the AL in ERA with a 3.22 team average. The Athletics are fifth in the league in WHIP at 1.15.
Moving on to the away team, the Astros come into this game with a win percentage of .556 when playing as the underdog (5-4) and an overall money line of +310. Against divisional opponents, they are 8-5 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 5-3 record. Houston has stepped up their play against division opponents. They have averaged 3.9 runs per game, more than their season average of 3.4. Houston is a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in the MLB with 16 stolen bases. Switching gears to Houston’s pitching staff, they have a WHIP of 1.08 on the year, good for third in the league.
In their previous five games this season, the Astros have a 3-2 record. The Athletics will take on a right-hander (Wojciechowski) in this game and have a 7-6 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Pomeranz will take the mound against the Astros, who have a 4-2 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
For the fifth time this season, the Athletics registered at least two errors in a game.
When the Astros play into extra innings, they have a 2-0 record. The Athletics are 0-3 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Astros managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Athletics who are heading in with a 3-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 1-7. The Astros have a 2-3 record when opponents outhit them.
Oakland ranks in the top half of the league at 14th when it comes to home runs, hitting 15 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at fourth with 21.
Ranking 13th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.13 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at second with 9.82.
Ranking 16th, Houston is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.684). Oakland ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .737.
The Astros are 2-5 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Athletics are 1-7 when they allow at least one homer.
