Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Game 1 – 8/29/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction

The Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros meet Saturday in MLB action from Minute Maid Park. 

This will be the first game of a Saturday doubleheader between the A’s and Astros. The originally scheduled Friday matchup was postponed, and we’ll get a Sunday game to finish off the series. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place. 

The Athletics have been pretty hit-and-miss on offense so far this season, but they’ve got a few batters who are doing well in the stats columns. Matt Olson leads the team in power with 10 homers and 22 RBI with 20 runs, but he’s hitting a tepid .178 on the season overall. Matt Chapman is also rocking the power stroke on nine homers and 22 RBI; Chapman is hitting .240 on the year overall. 

For the Saturday game one starting role, Oakland is sending out RHP Chris Bassitt. In his six starts so far this year, Bassitt has a 2.97 ERA with a 2-1 record and 28 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. Bassitt carries a 16-20 career record with a 3.76 ERA and 318 Ks in 368.2 innings total. 

Over on the Houston side, they’ve got a pretty well-rounded offensive attack working in 2020 thus far. Yuli Gurriel is doing well on a .296 average with nine doubles, five homers and 13 RBI with 21 runs. Kyle Tucker has also done a nice job for the Astros with his .262 BA, five omers, three triples and 23 RBI. George Springer hasn’t really gotten going yet with a .193 batting average, however. 

For the Saturday game one starting pitcher slot, the Astros will go with Lance McCullers on the mound. McCullers is 2-2 in his six starts this season with a 5.74 ERA and 25 Ks in 31.1 innings. On his MLB career, McCullers is 31-24 with a 3.80 ERA and 534 Ks in 485.0 innings. 

The Athletics are 7-2 in their last nine Saturday games and 40-18 in their last 58 games overall. Oakland is 4-9 in their last 13 opening games of a doubleheader and 44-17 in their last 61 games versus the American League West. 

Meanwhile, the Astros are 53-15 in their last 68 during game one of a series and 46-15 in their last 61 games as a home favorite. Houston is 57-21 in their last 78 versus the American League West and 49-18 in their last 67 home games. 

Pick: I’m leaning Astros here, but this should be a good game. Bassitt suffered from a defensive miscue in his last start, which threw off his otherwise solid performance. He should post a nice outing here. That said, McCullers has gone 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP since August 5 and he should give Houston enough length to find some opportunities offensively. It’s going to be tight, but I think the Astros can eke it out.