It's time to continue our MLB odds series with an Athletics-Astros prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Athletics-Astros.
The Houston Astros are fortunate. They have played really good baseball over the past two months, but they were more than 10 games under .500 early in the season when they were atrocious and took a very long time to finally become the team most people have recognized from the past seven years. The Astros' brutal April and May, combined with their strong July and August, has created a modest 77-67 record through 144 games. Last year's Astros had a lot of bumpy sequences during the 2023 season. This year's team is likely to finish with a worse record than the 2023 team. Yet, the Astros — just 10 games over .500 with 2.5 weeks left in the season — are 4.5 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. In an ordinary a year — a year in which at least one division competitor is also at least 10 games over .500 at this point in the season (see the AL Central and AL East as representative examples) — the Astros would be fighting for their playoff lives, not at all guaranteed to make the playoffs. However, because the Texas Rangers and the aforementioned Mariners have been so poor this season, Houston might fail to win 90 games and yet still make the postseason by several games, not just one or two.
The Astros are fortunate. They have just lost consecutive home games but have not paid a steep price because the Mariners lost to the Padres on Tuesday and have not been able to make a significant push in the final weeks of the season. Houston needs to make sure these two losses do not bleed into a longer losing streak. Houston does still have three games left versus the Mariners. The Astros don't want to leave the door open for Seattle, but they have done precisely that in the past 72 hours.
Athletics-Astros Projected Starters
Joey Estes vs. Hunter Brown
Joey Estes (6-7) has a 4.46 ERA. He has been a mediocre but not terrible pitcher for the A's. In a league where some starters are carrying ERAs over five runs, Estes' 4.46 mark is respectable, though certainly not very strong. He endured a rocky outing last week against the normally light-hitting Mariners. This assignment against the Astros will be a distinct challenge for him.
Last Start: Thursday, September 5 versus the Seattle Mariners: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 HR, 0 BB, 3 K
2024 Road Splits: 10 starts, 48 2/3 IP, 57 H, 37 R, 10 HR, 15 BB, 43 K
Hunter Brown (11-7) has a 3.41 ERA. The Astros are likely to make the playoffs because Brown has stepped up in the absence of a number of injured pitchers for Houston. Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, Lance McCullers, and the list goes on — Houston's starting rotation has been shredded by injuries this year. Brown has filled the void and become a very reliable pitcher for the Astros. He pitched six shutout innings in his last start against the Reds. Let's see if his batting order can give him a little run support this time around.
Last Start: Thursday, September 5 versus the Cincinnati Reds: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 6 K
2024 Home Splits: 13 starts, 75 IP, 57 H, 30 R, 10 HR, 29 BB, 74 K
Here are the Athletics-Astros MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Astros Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-113)
Moneyline: +190
Houston Astros: -1.5 (-106)
Moneyline: -230
Over: 8.5 (+100)
Under: 8.5 (-122)
How to Watch Athletics vs Astros
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET/5:10 p.m. PT
TV: NBC Sports California (Athletics) / SpaceCity Home Network (Astros) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: fuboTV (Free trial)
Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win
The A's contained Houston's bats on Tuesday and got tons of big outs with runners in scoring position. They can do the same thing in this game and cover the spread.
Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win
Hunter Brown will pitch well. The Astros were awful with RISP on Tuesday. The odds are that Houston will hit a lot better with runners in scoring position on Wednesday.
Final Athletics-Astros Prediction & Pick
The Astros are unlikely to lose three in a row, and two straight against the A's. Take Houston.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Athletics-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5
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