In the second of a three-game series between the Oakland Athletics (8-10) and the Houston Astros (8-10) at O.C. Coliseum, Kendall Graveman (1-1, 6.94 ERA) and Scott Feldman (1-2, 5.09 ERA) get the start. The Astros won the last game 5-4 and Houston leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 25 and will air on ROOT-SW and CSN-CA.
In his last start, Graveman pitched 3.0 innings, allowing two runs (one unearned), striking out two and walking three in a 6-3 loss to the Angels. Stephen Vogt (.373, 9 Rs, 4 HRs, 14 RBIs) went 1 for 1 yesterday with one run. In his pitching opportunities against the Athletics, Feldman is 5-9 with a 5.85 ERA. He meets a strong Oakland offense that’s batting .275. Jake Marisnick (.350, 6 Rs, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Oakland, a -120 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Houston. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. The Athletics perform poorly as a favorite with a 3-5 record and have an overall money line of -221. They have a winless record (0-2) in games played as the favorite during their last 10 games. 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 a superb hitting team with an AL-best 11.1 hits per home game. Oakland’s pitching staff can be considered one of the best in the AL. The Athletics have a team ERA of 3.22, one of the lowest in their league. The Athletics don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking fifth in the league with a 1.12 WHIP.
Across the field, the Astros have a record of 4-4 when they are the underdog and are +190 overall with the money line. Against fellow AL West members, they are 7-5 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 4-3 record. Houston has stepped up their play against division opponents. They have averaged 3.8 runs per game, more than their season average of 3.3. The Astros have racked up 16 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. Switching gears to Houston’s pitching staff, they have the lowest ERA in the AL at 3.00. They have a WHIP of 1.08 on the year, good for third in the league.
The Athletics will take on a right-hander (Feldman) in this game and have a 7-6 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Astros will be the right-hander Graveman. They sport a 5-5 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
The Astros won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Athletics are 0-3. The Astros are 2-1 in close games this season.
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 are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Athletics have a record of 3-3 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 5-4. The Athletics have a 7-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 25th, Houston sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 54 this season. Oakland ranks in the top five at third with 87.
Ranking 12th, Oakland is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 53 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at fifth with 61.
The Athletics are 6-3 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Astros are 6-5 when they hit at least one homer.
