From Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, we have the Astros and Orioles facing off in an AL matchup. The Orioles are 76-55 and they have won two straight, but they are the slight underdog on the money line today (-107). Houston is favored (-112), and they are 1st in the AL West with a record of 69-60.
Today's over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and the forecast for Sunday's game calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. Dean Kremer is starting for the Orioles, and he is facing off against Yusei Kikuchi for the Astros. On the run line, the Astros are +145, while the Orioles are -180.
Houston vs. Baltimore Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Astros at Orioles
- Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards Baltimore
- Date: Sunday, August 25th
- Betting Odds HOU -112 | BAL -107 O/U 8.5
Astros vs Orioles Last Game Recap
Baltimore picked up a 3-2 win over the Astros in the most recent game of this series. The Orioles had a huge 6th inning, scoring all three of their runs. As for the Astros, they scored one run in the 1st inning and added their final run in the 6th. Heading into the game, the Orioles were the slight favorites at -111.
Albert Suarez got the start for the Orioles, going just 5 2/3 innings while giving up two runs and striking out three. Keegan Akin came out of the bullpen for the win, and Seranthony Dominguez got the save. Framber Valdez had a rough outing for the Astros, giving up three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday each had two hits and drove in a run for the Orioles' offense. Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena each had two hits and an RBI for the Astros.
Astros Preview
As the road team, the Astros are 34-31 this season, and their run line record is 36-29, with an average margin of +0.2 runs per game. They have covered the run line in four straight games when favored, but are 42-53 against the run line overall as favorites. Houston's over/under record for the season is 51-74, and they have gone over in 16 of 26 games with an 8.5 run total.
After two straight losses, the Astros are 1-2 in their current series vs. the Orioles and hold a 4.5-game lead over the Mariners in the AL West. Their overall record is 69-60, placing them first in the division.
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Orioles on the road. He has made 26 starts this season and has a record of 6-9 with an ERA of 4.37. Kikuchi's WHIP for the season is 1.29, and opponents are batting .256 off him this year. In his 26 appearances, he has turned in eight quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Kikuchi finished with a no-decision against the Red Sox, giving up one earned run in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Yordan Alvarez has been a big power threat for the Astros this season, as his 25 homers are the most on the team and 11th in the league. Alvarez is also batting .306, which is the 2nd best mark on the team. Yainer Diaz has been on a tear of late, going 9/24 in his last six games with two homers. For the season, he is batting .302 with 15 homers. Kyle Tucker and Yainer Diaz are both on hitting streaks for the Astros.
As a team, the Astros are 3rd in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. Their team on-base percentage is 7th in the league, and they have been tough to strike out this season. Overall, they are 8th in home runs and have the 3rd best slugging percentage in the league.
Orioles Preview
With a 76-55 record, the Orioles are just a half-game behind the Yankees in the AL East. Baltimore has a 28-15 record against divisional opponents this season. The Orioles have won two straight games and have a 5-5 record in their last 10 games.
When the Orioles win, they tend to win by a large margin, with an average run margin of +3.7 runs per game. Their run line record is 72-59, and they have been a great bet on the run line as underdogs, going 20-7. This season, the Orioles have an over/under record of 70-51, and their games have averaged 9.3 runs per game.
Right-hander Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles today as he faces the Astros at home. He has made 18 starts this season and has a record of 6-9 with an ERA of 4.30. Kremer's WHIP for the season is 1.26, and opponents are batting .216 this year. Kremer has turned in six quality starts this year and is averaging 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Kremer picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one earned run. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. So far, he has been much better at home, with an ERA of 5.5 compared to 4.35 on the road.
So far this season, the Orioles have been the best home run hitting team in the league and come into the game averaging 5 runs per game, which is 3rd in the MLB. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.3 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .253, which is 6th in the league, and have the league's top slugging percentage.
Anthony Santander has put up some big power numbers for the Orioles this season, as his 38 home runs are 3rd in the league and the best mark on the team. However, he is batting just .236 for the season and has gone just 3/20 in his last five games. Gunnar Henderson has also been a big power threat for the Orioles, as he has 33 homers and is batting .284.
Astros vs. Orioles Prediction: Orioles ML -107
We see the Orioles taking this one at home with a predicted final score of 6-5. Given that they are at -107 on the money line, this is the way we recommend playing this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Yusei Kikuchi going for six strikeouts, while Dean Kremer is predicted to finish with five.
If you're looking for some player props, you could look at the Orioles batters, as they are projected to have the most strikeouts as a team today.
