Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros Prediction 7-22-23 MLB Picks

The Houston Astros and the Oakland A’s meet in game three of their four-game AL West division series in MLB action from the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday. The Astros have improved to 8-0 against Oakland this season with a win on Friday, can the A’s snap the skid or will Houston continue their dominance? Let’s dive in and find out.

Houston Astros Team Preview

The AL West has mostly been the Texas Rangers’ to lose through the first half as the offense for the Rangers was electric and the teams around them either stunk like the A’s, or were marred with injuries like the Astros, but that hasn’t stopped Houston from surging and doing what the Astros do in the second half and that’s been winning games and battling atop the AL West, picking up a 3rd straight win after their 6-4 victory over Oakland on Friday. Kyle Tucker’s taken the reigns of the Astros offense, leading the ‘Stros with 17 home runs, 68 RBIs, 106 hits and a .303 batting average. Yordan Alvarez continues to miss time but has 17 homers of his own this season and Alex Bregman has 15 home runs and 62 RBIs this season. Tucker also has a team-high 24 doubles to lead the Astros in two-baggers this season. Cristian Javier will start for the Astros on the mound and is 7-1 with a 4.39 ERA and 89 strikeouts this season.

Oakland A’s Team Preview

The Oakland A’s have just been trying to find a comfortable place to lie down after being beat up for much of the season and Friday’s crushing loss was just another brick in the wall as the A’s have won just 27 of their 100 games so far this season and while it could seem farfetched, the possibility of the A’s finishing with the worst record in major league history (42-120) is still within reach. Brent Rooker leads the A’s with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs this season, while Esteury Ruiz has 86 hits, a .257 batting average and a team-best 43 stolen bases but continues to miss time with a shoulder injury. Ryan Noda and Shea Langeliers also have double-digit home runs for the A’s this season, while Ruiz also leads the A’s in doubles with 19. Paul Blackburn will get the start for the A’s here and is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA and 44 strikeouts this season.

Oakland Athletics Team Facts

• The Athletics have lost each of their last 14 games against AL West opponents.
• The Athletics have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven games as home underdogs against AL West opponents.
• The Athletics have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last eight Saturday games against American League opponents that held a winning record.
• The Athletics have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last 10 Saturday games against AL West opponents that held a winning record.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Athletics’ last four games as underdogs against AL West opponents.

Houston Astros Team Facts

• The Astros have won each of their last nine games against the Athletics.
• The Astros have covered the run line in each of their last six games against the Athletics.
• The Astros have led after 3 innings in each of their last seven Saturday games against the Athletics.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Astros’ last four games at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
• The Astros have led after 7 innings in each of their last six games against the Athletics.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Oakland Athletics ranks 30th in the league for hits this season (721).
• The Oakland Athletics ranks 30th in the league for RBI’s this season (341).
• The Houston Astros ranks 2nd in the league for ERA this season (3.73).
• The Houston Astros ranks T28th in the league for triples this season (7).

Chris’ Pick

I have to say that I don’t see any other way to go in this game but to back Houston here. The Astros are the better team with anything to play for and while that sounds crazy to say with two and a half months to go, the A’s are just counting down the days for the season to end. Houston’s owned the A’s this season and I don’t see anything different occurring here. Give me Houston -1.5.