Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Matchup

Thursday's matchup between the Athletics and Astros is set for 2:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -245, while the Athletics are sitting at +204. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.

Oakland will be looking to keep their two-game winning streak alive, as they are 64-82 and in 4th place in the AL West. Houston is 77-68 and has Framber Valdez on the mound. The Athletics are starting Mitch Spence.

Oakland vs. Houston Matchup At A Glance

  • Teams: Athletics at Astros
  • Where: Minute Maid Park Houston
  • Date: Thursday, September 12th
  • Betting Odds HOU -245 | OAK +204 O/U 8

Athletics vs Astros Last Game Recap

Thanks to a three-run 6th inning for the A's, they picked up a 5-4 road win over the Astros in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the A's were at +199 on the money line.

Oakland's offense got off to a fast start in the game, scoring two runs in the 1st and adding three more in the 2nd. On the other side, the Astros got on the board with two runs in the 3rd and added their final two runs in the 5th.

Kyle McCann and Brent Rooker each homered for the A's, while Max Schuemann scored twice and drove in two runs while going 2/3. Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez each had two hits and two RBIs for the Astros.

Athletics Preview

Today's game between the Athletics and the Astros will feature an over/under line of 8 runs. Oakland has played to an over/under record of 17-16-1 in games with that total. The Athletics are 40-31 against the run line on the road, and they have a 2-0 series lead over Houston heading into today's finale.

Overall, the Athletics have a 64-82 record, placing them 4th in the AL West, 13.5 games behind the Astros. They have covered the run line in their last two games and have an overall series record of 17-23-5. As underdogs, they hold a 75-55 run line record, but as favorites, they are just 6-10.

Mitch Spence gets the start for the Athletics today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 4.42. Spence's WHIP for the season is currently 1.37. In his 31 appearances, he has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 7.66 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his recent outings, Spence has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three starts. Most recently, he gave up one earned run in 4 1/3 innings of work vs. the Tigers. He has allowed at least one homer in each of his last three outings.

Heading into the game, the Athletics are 26th in the league in scoring, averaging just 4.1 runs per game. However, they do have the league's 5th best home run total and have the 12th best slugging percentage in the league. As a team, they are batting just .234 and have the league's 26th worst strikeout rate.

Brent Rooker has been the Athletics' top hitter this season, batting .299 with 35 home runs and 101 RBIs. He is also on a five-game hitting streak. Shea Langeliers is also a big power threat in the lineup, as he has 25 homers but is batting just .223 for the season. Zack Gelof has gone 7/21 in his last five games, including one home run.

Astros Preview

Heading into today's game, the Astros are 77-68 overall and lead the AL West by 3.5 games over the Mariners. They have a 0-2 series deficit against the Athletics and have lost three straight games. Houston's overall series record this season is 24-19-2.

This season, Astros games have averaged 8.6 runs per game, resulting in a 59-81 over/under record. The over/under line for today's game is 8 runs, which is lower than the usual line of 9 runs. The O/U record for games with an 8-run line is 12-13-2.

Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today and is coming off a great outing vs. the Diamondbacks. In that September 6th start, he went seven innings, picking up the win and not giving up a run. He only gave up two hits in that outing. Looking back further, Valdez has made 25 starts and has a record of 14-6. His ERA for the season is 2.98, along with a WHIP of 1.09. Valdez has one complete game and 15 quality starts this year. So far, he has an ERA of 2.96 at home compared to 3.98 on the road.

Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros' top hitter this season, batting .313 with a team-leading 32 home runs and 80 RBIs. Jose Altuve has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 14/36 in his last nine games with one home run and five RBIs. For the season, Altuve is batting .302 with 19 homers.

As a team, the Astros are 3rd in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been a bit better at home this season, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. Overall, they are 9th in home runs and have the league's 3rd fewest strikeouts.

Athletics vs. Astros Prediction: Over 8 Runs -111

Our prediction for this Astros vs. Athletics matchup is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8 runs. We actually have the Astros winning this one 6-5, giving us a little bit of wiggle room on the over/under line.

Looking at the starting pitchers, Framber Valdez is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which is good for fourth worst among today's starters. As for Mitch Spence, he is projected to finish with six K's, which ranks him ninth.

As for some team stats, the Astros are projected to finish with 10 hits compared to the Athletics with nine. The Athletics are projected to finish with the third most runs today, compared to the Astros, who are fourth.

If you're looking for a money line pick, the payout for the Astros is -245, and we do have them winning. However, we see more value in taking the over.

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