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An important AL West showdown will be in the works when the Oakland Athletics battle it out with the resurgent Houston Astros. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Athletics-Astros prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering play with a 19-24 record, the Athletics have hit a slight bump in the road with four losses in their previous five games. Most recently, Oakland went down in defeat in their opening game of this series to the Astros by a score of 9-2. In order to get back on track, the A's will plan on sending out right-hander Aaron Brooks who will be making his first start of the season.
Some would call it a disastrous start for the Astros this season and many would agree, but the Houston team that we all have come to know is beginning to put the pieces together and return to form. Although the ‘Stros still possess a lousy 16-25 record, Houston has managed to win four of their last five and seem to be trending in the right direction. With lefty Framer Valdez in line to make the start, can the Astros continue their winning ways?
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Astros Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +190
Houston Astros: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -230
Over: 8 (-120)
Under: 8 (-102)
How to Watch Athletics vs. Astros
Time: 8:10 ET/5:10 PT
TV: MLB.TV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win
In opposite fashion compared to Houston, it appears that Oakland is in the midst of a downward spiral. Nonetheless, the A's have at least shown vast improvement after losing a whopping 112 games which was by far good enough for last place in the AL West division. It is clear that the A's are enhancing their play, but with the good also comes a plethora of growing pains.
Obviously enough, if the Athletics are going to cool off the red-hot Astros, look no further than Aaron Brooks to have a big say in this one. Like previously mentioned, Brooks will be making his first start of the year after pitching a full season with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas who serve as the affiliate for the San Diego Padres in 2023. Prior to that, Brooks was a part of the St. Louis Cardinals starting staff during the 2022 season. Indeed, Brooks may be slightly rusty after not having pitched in the majors in quite some time, but Oakland will be counting on him to pitch far enough into this contest to give a tiresome bullpen some rest.
Above all else, this is an A's offense that is only hitting .227 collectively at the plate, and the sticks will need to come alive in an attempt to cover the spread. During the 9-2 defeat, Oakland compiled a 2-10 mark with runners in scoring position and could not capitalize when it mattered most. It will serve as an absolute must for this Athletics offense to get going one way or another.
Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win
To Houston fan's dismay, the dominant Astros over the last decade have not shown up this season until now. Clearly, it has been an extremely sluggish start out of the gate for a franchise that is used to being an annual contender, but Houston may be coming back from the dead at the halfway point of May.
Although it remains to be seen just how good this Astros team can be by the time the later months arrive, it is Houston that at least excels in the form of an offensive onslaught that is difficult to slow down. Over the course of their last two games, the Astros have exploded into orbit on their way to amassing 18 runs on a combined 28 hits. Until proven otherwise, Houston's is hotter than the surface of the sun and should not be expected to slow down against an up-and-down Oakland pitching staff.
Last but certainly not least, the dominance of Framber Valdez from the pitching rubber will be a critical piece in Houston's pursuit to covering the spread and coming out victorious. When clicking on all cylinders, Valdez is equipped with a rare talent that cannot be taught. After a rocky outing on May 4th that resulted in allowing five earned runs on nine hits, it was the 30-year-old southpaw who bounced back with a seven-inning appearance in a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. By stringing back-to-back stellar outings from the mound, the chances that Houston will continue their hot streak on the diamond should only increase exponentially.
Final Athletics-Astros Prediction & Pick
The Astros are hot and the A's are not. Take Houston to cover the spread in front of their home fans!
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Final Athletics-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (-110)
