The Oakland Athletics won a thrilling extra-inning game last night against the Houston Astros and will now look to extend their 3.5-game lead in the AL West. This series is always filled with plenty of drama. Although there were no fans in the stands, there was no shortage of excitement.
This afternoon’s pitching matchup will be the left-hander Framber Valdez for Houston and the right-hander Frankie Montas for Oakland. Both guys have been fairly effective this season, with an ERA under three. The two will look to outdo last night’s pair of starters – Zack Greinke and Chris Bassitt – which allowed a total of one run.
Coming into the game, there were many questions about the Astros’ bullpen and how such a young and inexperienced group would fare. They actually did quite well, only allowing two earned runs over the last 6 2/3 innings. Today could be a struggle, though, as they’ll have to turn it around less than 24 hours later.
Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics
RingCentral Coliseum – Oakland, CA
4:10 p.m. EST (Watch: MLB Extra Innings)
Starting Pitchers
HOU: Framber Valdez – L (0-1, 2.53 ERA/1.03 WHIP this season)
OAK: Frankie Montas – R (1-1, 2.25 ERA/1.31 WHIP this season)
Odds & Betting lines (bet365)
Total: 8.5 runs | Over: -110 | Under: -110
HOU | Moneyline: +120 | Run Line (+1.5): -160
OAK | Moneyline: -140 | Run Line (-1.5): +140
Injury List
HOU: George Springer -OF (DTD), Yordan Alvarez -DH (IL), Roberto Osuna -RP (IL)
OAK: Jordan Weems -RP (IL)
Interesting Stats
Where’s the Money Going?
As of 10 a.m. EST today, here are the percentages:
– Moneyline: HOU, 51% of bets – OAK, 66% of all money wagered
– Run Line: OAK, 76% of bets – OAK, 88% of all money wagered
– Total: Under, 72% of bets – Under, 99% of all money wagered
Montas Looking to Regain Home Form
Montas had a 4-0 record and 3.00 ERA in seven home starts last season. The numbers haven’t been great there for him this season, and we all know there’s room for improvement.
Betting Picks
A’s Moneyline (-140)
We got nipped in the butt last night by taking the A’s on the run line; Greinke was a lot better than I anticipated. A ton of bets are on Oakland once again, so let’s take that knowledge and run with it. Montas has been fantastic at home over the course of his career, and the extra motivation of this being such a big rivalry game will likely have him on his game. It also doesn’t hurt that George Springer is out for the Astros.
Under 8.5 Runs (-110)
This total actually opened at nine and has now dropped a half-run. In addition, the implied team totals for each team dropped a bit (HOU: -0.3, OAK: -0.2) and that’s usually a good indicator that we won’t see too many runs.
