Athletics vs Astros Prediction and Betting Odds May 31
Athletics vs Astros Betting Preview
The Astros hold a four game lead in the AL West as the Athletics still sit in last place in the division. WagerTalk MLB analyst Brian Ochsner offers his Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros betting preview for Tuesday, May 31.
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| Tuesday, May 31 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Oakland Athletics +120 vs Houston Astros -130 |
| Runline: | Athletics +1.5 (-150) / Astros -1.5 (+130) |
| Total: | 6.5 Runs (Over -120 / Under -100) |
| Game Time: | 9:40pm ET / 6:40pm PT |
| Where: | RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, CA |
| Weather: | 60 Degrees / Clear |
Athletics vs Astros Analysis
The Houston Astros take on the Oakland A’s at RingCentral Coliseum in the second of a three game series. The visitors took last night’s contest 5-1, and it’ll be Cristian Javier taking the mound against Frankie Montas.
Houston opened as a -145 favorite with Oakland as a +125 dog, but those numbers have moved slightly in favor of the home team with a money line of -130 and +120. The run total opened at 7 but went down across the board to 6.5, with the over at -120.
Astros Preview
Houston is getting their hitting groove back, especially Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve. Alvarez connected with two rocket shots over 400 feet, and Altuve got a long fly of 394 feet.
Starter Cristian Javier has been a relief pitcher most of his career, but has done well recently as a starter. In his last outing the right-hander went 5.2 innings against Cleveland, giving up three hits, one walk and no earned runs, and struck out nine.
And his season-long numbers are pretty solid. In nine appearances, five starts and 37.0 innings, the right-hander has compiled a 2.43 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP with 48 strikeouts.
Javier has only had one bad start, back on May 14th at the Nationals where he gave up eight hits and seven earned runs in 3.2 innings.
The Astros pitching has also rounded into mid-season form, as their bullpen has the lowest ERA in MLB of 2.48, and a WHIP of 1.11.
Athletics Preview
Oakland had a fire sale of its best players before the season, so it’s been darn near impossible for them to be competitive. The pitching has been the brighter spot, although they’re still in the bottom 1/3 in baseball for team ERA. Luis Barerra and Chad Pinder have the two best OPS numbers at .774 and .707. After that, the rest of the team’s offensive stats are nothing to write home about. .
Athletics vs Astros Prediction
I don’t see a big edge for either starting pitcher, but there’s a big talent gap on the rest of the pitching staffs and at the plate. The ‘Stros have the 2nd best team ERA, while the A’s are 21st; and Oakland is dead last in team OPS at .606.
Unless Montas and the A’s bullpen pitch really well, I don’t think they have enough offense to keep up with Houston. That’s why I’ll take the Astros on the money line, and feel free to sprinkle some on the run line.
Prediction: Houston Astros Moneyline
Interested in placing a bet on Tuesday’s Athletics vs Astros American League showdown? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Tuesday, May 31
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
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WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Tuesday’s baseball games, including this Athletics vs Astros showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Brian Ochsner graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in Accounting and Agribusiness. He’s a life-long baseball fan and “numbers guy” who tolerates the Colorado Rockies (bad ownership), and is a Denver Broncos and Kansas State Wildcats fan. Along with his interest in the sports wagering industry, he enjoys eating good BBQ, reading books on marketing, finance and economics, and playing Texas Hold ‘Em poker.
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