Friday's interleague matchup between the Dodgers and Astros is set to get started at 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros are favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -125 compared to the Dodgers at +106. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs.
Los Angeles will be sending Gavin Stone to the mound, and they are 62-42 this season, which has them in 1st place in the NL West. The Astros, who are 1st in the AL West, will have Framber Valdez on the mound.
Los Angeles vs. Houston Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Dodgers at Astros
- Where: Minute Maid Park Houston
- Date: Friday, July 26th
- Betting Odds HOU -125 | LAD +106 O/U 8.5
Dodgers Preview
Led by a big game by Nick Ahmed at the plate, the Dodgers are coming off a 6-4 win over the Giants to close out their series. Ahmed went 2/4 with a homer and a run scored. The Dodgers really broke things open with a four-run 2nd inning. Looking at the betting lines going into the game, the Dodgers were the slight underdog at -127.
Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers, going four innings and giving up two runs on six hits. He only had six strikeouts in the outing and took the win.
Los Angeles is 62-42 overall and leads the NL West by 7.5 games over the Padres. As the favorite, the Dodgers have a 59-35 record, but they are just 3-7 as the underdog. Their series record is 20-14-1, and they have won two straight series.
When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, the Dodgers have a 24-17 O/U record. Their games this season have averaged 9 runs, and their run line record is 51-53. On the road, they are 26-24 vs. the run line, compared to 25-29 at home.
Right-hander Gavin Stone is getting the start for the Dodgers today as he faces the Astros on the road. Stone has made 18 starts this season and has a record of 9-3 with a 3.19 ERA. He most recently pitched on July 19th, where he finished with a no-decision after giving up one earned run in five innings of work. Looking back at his last three outings, Stone has finished with a no-decision in two of them. Stone has one complete game shutout this year and has turned in eight quality starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 6.99 strikeouts and 2.48 walks. Stone's ERA on the road is 4.01 compared to 3.99 at home.
Shohei Ohtani has been one of the league's top power hitters this season, as his 31 home runs are 2nd in the MLB and the best mark on the Dodgers. Ohtani is also batting .312 for the season and comes into the game with two homers in his last seven games. Teoscar Hernandez has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 9/26 in his last seven games, with two homers and five RBIs.
As a team, the Dodgers have been the top offense in the league this season, averaging 5 runs per game. They also lead the league in on-base percentage and OPS. Not only do they have the best OPS in the league, but they are also the top team in terms of slugging percentage.
Astros Preview
Houston closed out their series vs. the Athletics with an impressive 8-1 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -154. It was a big first inning for the Astros, as they scored their first run of the game and added three more in the 2nd. Houston's offense went on to score a total of eight runs on 11 hits and didn't hit a home run.
Hunter Brown put together a good start for the Astros, going six innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. He also issued just one walk and struck out eight Athletics batters. Chas McCormick was hot at the plate, going 2/3 with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base. The Astros also had three other players with two hits.
Today, the Astros are favored against the Dodgers with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. This season, Houston's over/under record is 41-57, and their average combined run total per game is 8.9 runs. The Astros lead the AL West with a 53-49 record, just one game ahead of the Mariners.
As the favorite, the Astros have a straight-up record of 39-35 and a run line record of 35-39. At home, they have covered the run line in 26 of 49 games, while on the road, they have covered it in 27 of 53 games. Houston's overall series record this season is 18-14-1.
Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today and comes into the game with a record of 8-5 and an ERA of 3.63. So far this season, he has made 17 starts, and opponents are batting .252 off the left-hander. Valdez has turned in 10 quality starts this year and is averaging 7.62 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. The most runs he has allowed in a start this year is six.
Heading into today's game, the Astros are 10th in the league in scoring, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. At home, they have been even better, putting up 5.1 runs per game. Overall, they are one of the league's top home run-hitting teams, and they have the 2nd best team batting average in the MLB. Houston also does a good job of putting the ball in play, as they have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league.
Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros' top power threat this season, as his 20 home runs are the best mark on the team and 9th best in the league. He is also batting a solid .303. Kyle Tucker is 2nd on the team with 19 homers and has a team-best on-base percentage of .395. One player to watch will be Jake Meyers, who has three homers in his last 10 games but is batting just .175 over that stretch.
Dodgers vs. Astros Prediction: Astros ML -125
Our prediction for today's Dodgers vs. Astros matchup is to take the Astros on the money line at -125. We have the Astros winning this one by a score of 6-5. If you're looking for a parlay, you could also consider taking the over, as the line is sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Framber Valdez is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is 12th among starters. As for Gavin Stone, he is projected to finish with six K's, which is 10th. However, Stone is projected to give up more hits than Valdez, as Stone is projected to give up six hits compared to Valdez at 10th.
