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The San Francisco Giants head on the road, after their “home” series in Mexico, to face the Houston Astros. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series, with a Giants-Astros prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Giants just lost both games of a two-game series against the Padres. They were outscored in Mexico by a score of 22-15 in the series. The Astros just hosted the Phillies for three games and lost the first two of the series. They came back and won game three and avoided the sweep, but sit just 15-13 on the series. The Astros started slow, going 3-6 to starts, but are 12-7 since then, and could still win their division with ease.
Here are the Giants-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Giants-Astros Odds
San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-132)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+110)
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How To Watch Giants vs. Astros
TV: NBCSBA/ATTH/FS1
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:10 PM ET/ 5:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The good on the Giants is that they are hitting home runs. They are third in baseball with 46 home runs this year. They are average at getting on base, sitting 14th in the majors, which has led to the bad. With the third most home runs, they ait 15th in runs scored on the year. Pitching has good and bad as well. Logan Webb is sitting with a 43:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is indicative of the staff’s 3.38 strikeouts per one walk this year. That is good, but the bullpen has been bad. The bullpen ERA is 6.15, which is 28th in the majors.
The offense shows the contrast between the good and the bad on individual levels. Thario Estrada has been getting on base a lot, with a .393 on-base percentage. He is regularly left in scoring position though, and has scored just 19 times this year. David Villar has four home runs on the year, with 11 RBIs, but almost all of his RBIs are off home runs. Even more, he is just hitting just .156 this year. LaMonte Wade Jr. is getting one base a lot as well, with a .430 on-base percentage due to his 20 walks. He has only scored ten times though, and half of those runs are from his five home runs.
Ross Stripling will be the starter for the Giants tonight. He has made five appearances in the year and two starts. His last time out was a start, but he only made it 3.1 innings. He gave up two earned runs and three runs overall in the game, while not factoring into the decision. Overall, he is 0-1 with a 6.89 ERA and a blown save on the year.
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros have had to deal with injuries early on this year, with Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley missing time this year. Still, the Astros have the firepower to make up for it. Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have been that power. Alvarez has been crushing the ball this season, with a slash line of .272/.388/.543, six home runs, and 27 RBIs under his belt. He’s a consistent threat at the plate, and the Giants will need to be wary of giving him anything to hit.
Adding to his offense is Kyle Tucker. Tucker has 20 RBIs on the season and five home runs while slugging .469 on the season. Adding to the power numbers is Jeremy Pena. He has six home runs this year but has taken just five walks while striking out 30 times this year. The combination of Pena and Tucker has also been dangerous on the basepath. They have combined for 11 stolen bases and 31 runs on the season.
Luis Garcia will be on the hill tonight, and he has been on fire lately. He has back-to-back scoreless outings and has shown dominance recently. In his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays, he allowed just three hits and two walks, striking out seven batters over six innings in a 5-0 win. Before that, he shut down the Toronto Blue Jays for seven scoreless innings, racking up nine strikeouts. Garcia’s recent performance is a testament to the Astros’ overall team ERA, which is among the best in the league.
Final Giants-Astros Prediction & Pick
The Giants have been living and dying via the long ball. That may be an issue tonight. First, they are playing in Houston, which is not the most homerun-friendly ballpark. Then, Garcia has only given up three home runs this year in five starts. For a team that is thriving on offense only on home runs, this is a recipe for disaster. The Astros also have the better bullpen in this one. This seems like it will be a tough hill to climb for the Giants in this one.
Final Giants-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+110)