Saturday's slate of MLB action continues as we bring you another prediction and pick for this game between two AL West teams heading in opposite directions. The Houston Astros (29-21) will take on the Oakland Athletics (10-43) for the second game of their series. Check out our MLB odds series for our Astros-Athletics prediction and pick.
The Houston Astros are currently in second place in the AL West and trail the leading Rangers by just three games. The returning World Series champs are seeing a good start to their season but will have to keep up with the Rangers to find a playoff spot. They're 8-2 in their last 10 games coming into this one and just recently swept the Athletics in a series two weeks ago. Framber Valdez (LHP) will be their likely starter.
The Oakland Athletics are in last place in the AL West and are running away with the title of baseball's worst team. While fans beg upper management to sell the team, the Athletics continue to be historically bad and have lost nine straight games coming into this contest. They'll look for the break their losing streak as they take on their divisional rivals. The Athletics have not named a starter in this one.
Here are the Astros-Athletics MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Astros-Athletics Odds
Houston Astros: -350
Oakland Athletics: +280
Over (8): -118
Under (8): -104
How To Watch Astros vs. Athletics
TV: Regional Coverage
Stream: MLB.TV, fuboTV
Time: 4:07 p.m. ET/ 1:07 p.m. PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Houston Astros come into this game with the confidence of sweeping the Athletics in their previous series and winning the first game of this current series. The usual suspect for the Astros continue to show up as players like Alex Bregman continue to have hot hitting streaks. Yordan Alvarez has emerged as their biggest slugger and the Astros will have a huge advantage over the Athletics in terms of hitting power in their lineup.
Framber Valdez marches out behind his 4-4 record and 2.45 ERA thru 66 innings of work. He's been sensational in striking batters out with 77 on the year so far. Valdez will give the Astros a huge advantage on the bump as they avoid dropping a game to this Athletics squad. The Astros are 15-10 on the road this year and can inch closer to the Rangers in the AL with another win today.
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Athletics are already mailing this season in and will need a miracle to come up with a win over the Astros. They're just 5-21 when playing at home in front of their disgruntled fans. Esteury Ruiz has been a bright spot for the A's as a young talent, just as Brent Rooker leads the team in HR and RBI. For them to get this win today, they'll need to have some serious luck with batting against an established starter like Valdez.
It's unclear yet who the Athletics will put on the mound for today's game. They rank towards the bottom of the MLB in terms of runs produced and will need a solid pitching performance to keep them in this game. Aledmys Diaz has been their only hot player over the last 10 games, so they'll certainly need a big game from him to pull off this upset.
Final Astros-Athletics Prediction & Pick
There's no reason you should be betting on the Athletics at any point this season – they're a franchise in complete dismay and it's impossible to tell when their lineup will show up and win a game. Until then, we'll continue to fade the Athletics. Let's go with the Astros run-line with the prediction as they pick up another win in Oakland.
Final Astros-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Houston Astros -1.5 (-200)
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