The Astros make the trip to Oakland to face the Athletics! These two division rivals have been playing much better recently. The Astros have been playing much better recently while the Athletics are one of the worst teams in the MLB. Our MLB odds series has our Astros-Athletics prediction, odds, and pick for Tuesday.

Astros-Athletics Projected Starters 

Jake Bloss vs. Osvaldo Bido

Jake Bloss (0-0) with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched four innings and gave up two runs on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts in an Astros win.

2024 Road Splits: (0-0) 0.00 ERA

Osvaldo Bido (1-1) with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP

Last Appearance: Pitched one inning and gave up zero runs on zero hits with zero walks and one strikeout in an Athletics win.

2024 Home Splits: (0-1) 5.91 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Astros-Athletics Odds

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+120)

Moneyline: -136

Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-144)

Moneyline: +116

Over: 8.5 (-124)

Under: 8.5 (+102)

How to Watch Astros vs. Athletics

Time: 9:40 pm ET

TV: Space City Home Network / NBC Sports California

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Astros have opened this season struggling with consistency. However, they still have a 52-47 record currently and lost their previous game which broke a two-game winning streak. Despite some of their struggles, their offense has been great this season and they have the best batting average in the MLB. Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Jeremy Pena, Yainer Diaz, and Yordan Alvarez have been great for Houston behind the plate. The issue is all on the mound where they have struggled and are in the middle of the MLB. Ronel Blanco, Framber Valdez, and Justin Verlander have stood out in an average at best pitching staff. The Astros have talent, but they need to put it together more consistently in the second half of the season.

The Astros are starting Jake Bloss on the mound. He has a 0-0 record, a 4.70 ERA, and a 1.57 WHIP. Bloss has allowed four runs on 10 hits with two walks and six strikeouts through 7.2 innings up to this point in the season. In his two appearances for Houston this season, the Astros are 2-0. Bloss has not played well in his two starts, but the Astros have still played well. The Athletics are still a favorable matchup for him due to all of their struggles behind the plate this season.

The offense for the Astros has been the best in the MLB this season. They are first in batting average at .261 after they finished last season at .259. Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez lead the Astros in almost every important batting category. Altuve leads in batting average at .304 and total hits at 121. Then, Alvarez leads in home runs at 20, in RBI at 54, and in OBP at .385. The Astros have been great on offense, and they have red-hot all year. They get a favorable matchup against Osvaldo Bido on the mound, who has barely started this season for the Athletics.

Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Athletics have struggled this season to a 39-62 record. The Athletics have struggled behind the plate and their pitching has not been much better, still ranking near the bottom of the MLB. JJ Bleday, Abraham Toro, Shea Langeliers, and Brent Rooker stand out despite the offense struggling. On the mound, JP Sears has been solid and Hogan Harris and Paul Blackburn have been fine for a struggling pitching lineup. The Athletics have been awful and are one of the worst teams in the MLB going into the second half of the year.

The Athletics are starting Osvaldo Bido on the mound and he has a 1-1 record, a 3.44 ERA, and a 1.25 WHIP. He has allowed seven runs on 12 hits with 11 walks and 16 strikeouts through 18.1 innings this season. In the seven games he has appeared in this season, the Athletics are 3-4. He has struggled with consistency but has a difficult matchup in this game against the Astros. This matchup is difficult because the Astros have been the best offense in the MLB behind the plate.

The offense for the Athletics has been awful and is the third-worst in the MLB this season. They are 28th in the MLB in team batting average at .230 after finishing at .222 last season which was the worst in the MLB. Brent Rooker leads the team in most batting categories. Rooker leads in batting average at .294, in home runs at 22, in RBI at 67, in OBP at .373, and in total hits at 92. The Athletics have struggled, but their matchup against Bloss on the mound is favorable due to his struggles in his own right in a very limited role up to this point.

Final Astros-Athletics Prediction & Pick

This game will come down to which offense can take advantage of pitching. The Astros and Athletics have a marginal difference in pitching between Bloss and Bido because both have barely started this year. The difference comes down to the Astros and their potent offense. Expect the Astros to win and cover on the road against the Athletics due to that offense.

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Final Astros-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+120)