In this article we will formulate a Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics prediction for this MLB game on Monday, May 13th at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game one in this series.
Houston Trying to Find Momentum
The Houston Astros are 15-25 this season and they have won three of their last four games. Houston is coming off of a series win against Detroit, where they won two out of three games and scored 16 runs. Prior to that series, the Astros lost two out of three against the Yankees, lost two out of three against the Mariners, and won two out of three against the Guardians. Houston has not found their groove so far this season and they are fourth in the AL West behind Seattle, Texas, and Oakland.
The Houston pitching staff has a 4.96 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, and a .258 opponent batting average. The Astros offense has scored 178 runs with a .262 batting average and a .327 on base percentage. Kyle Tucker is batting .271 with 13 home runs and 28 RBI’s for the Astros this season. Houston has been one of the worst pitching teams in the MLB this year and they have allowed at least four runs in five of their last eight games.
Oakland is Reeling
The Oakland Athletics are 19-23 this year and they have lost six of their last eight games. Oakland is coming off of a series loss against Seattle, where they dropped two out of three and allowed 17 runs in three games. Prior to that series, the Athletics lost three out of four against Texas, won two out of three against Miami, and swept the Pirates. Oakland has not pitched well at all over their last eight games, but they have won three of their last five series and they are third in the AL West behind Texas and Seattle.
The Oakland pitching staff has a 4.31 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and a .252 opponent batting average. The Athletics offense has scored 167 runs with a .222 batting average and a .298 on base percentage. JJ Bleday is batting .248 with five home runs and 17 RBI’s for the Athletics this season. Oakland is 22nd in team ERA this season and they have allowed at least eight runs in four of their last six games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Houston is Spencer Arrighetti, who is 0-4 with a 8.44 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP over 21.1 innings pitched this year. Arrighetti has allowed 5, 2, 4, 2, and 7 earned runs in his last five starts, and he has allowed way too many baserunners. The projected starting pitcher for Oakland is Ross Stripling, who is 1-6 with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP over 42.0 innings pitched this season. Stripling has allowed two earned runs or fewer in two of his last three starts, but did allow eleven runs (five earned) and 10 hits over 1.2 innings against Texas in his last start.
Why the Houston Astros will win
- The Athletics have lost each of their last seven games at Minute Maid Park against AL West opponents that held a losing record.
- The Astros have won 16 of their last 20 games against the Athletics.
- The Athletics have failed to cover the run line in four of their last five road games against teams that held a losing record.
- The Astros have covered the run line in 15 of their last 18 night games against the Athletics following a road win.
Why the Oakland Athletics will win
- The Athletics have won each of their last four games as road underdogs against AL West opponents following a road loss.
- The Astros have lost each of their last four games as favorites against AL West opponents following a road win.
- The Astros have failed to cover the run line in 14 of their last 15 night games at Minute Maid Park following a win.
- The Athletics have covered the run line in each of their last five night games against AL West opponents following a road loss.
- The Astros have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five games as favorites against American League opponents.
- The Astros have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last six games as favorites against American League opponents.
Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics Prediction
Houston comes into this series looking to continue the momentum from their series win in Detroit, while Oakland needs to find better pitching. The Athletics have been awful on the mound over their last eight games and they are 9-10 on the road. Houston has also struggled with their pitching this season and they are going with Spencer Arrighetti, who has a WHIP north of two. Stripling hasn’t been much better for Oakland and I think we are going to see plenty of runs in this game. My Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics prediction is for this game to go over the total.