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Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros: An AL West matchup

The Oakland Athletics are visiting the Houston Astros tonight at Minute Maid Park.

Another disappointing season for the A’s

The Oakland Athletics are fourth in the AL West with a 62-82 record, including 26-43 on the road. They have won lost 4 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 9-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The Athletics have a 4.35 ERA, a .257 batting average, a .337 on-base percentage, and 1.33 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Brent Rooker leads the team with 141 hits, 74 runs and 35 home runs.

How good are the Astros this year?

The Houston Astros are on top of the AL West with a 77-66 record, including 41-30 at home. They have lost 4 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 12-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Astros have a 3.80 ERA, a .227 batting average, a .308 on-base percentage, and 1.25 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Jose Altuve leads the team with 171 hits and 86 runs for the season, and Yordan Alvarez is on top with 32 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Astros are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games overall, 6-1 SU in their last 7 home games, and 5-0 SU in their last 5 home games against the Athletics. Houston has played over the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games overall and 5 of their last 7 games played in September while they have stayed under in 10 of their last 15 games against Oakland and 14 of their last 20 games against teams from the AL West. The Athletics are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games overall, 3-8 SU in their last 11 games against Houston, and 13-7 SU in their last 20 games against teams from the AL West. Oakland has played over the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games overall, 8 of their last 10 games on the road, and 6 of their last 8 games against teams from the AL.

Prediction and Conclusion

These AL West rivals have a completely different season, with the Athletics having another disappointing year while the Astros look like a real contender. Houston has won 7 of the last 10 games against the A’s, but Oakland won the first series this season. Osvaldo Bido will be the starting pitcher for the Athletics, who are 5-3 for the season with a 3.41 ERA, 63 K, 63.1 IP, and 1.09 WHIP. The Astros will go with rookie Spencer Arrighetti, who is 7-12 for the season with a 4.82 ERA, 151 K, 125 IP, and 1.43 WHIP. Despite the fact that the pitcher record goes in the favor of the Athletics, the Astros are the better team and will open the series with a win.