The Oakland Athletics will look to complete a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros when the teams meet this afternoon. After winning the first two games of this series, the A’s now hold a 4.5-game lead in the AL West and will look to extend upon their eight-game winning streak.
Today’s pitching matchup is a battle of talented rookie hurlers, as Cristian Javier will toe the rubber for Houston while the flashy left-hander Jesus Lazardo goes for Oakland. These two will be bright spots in their respective teams’ rotations for a very long time, and today will be a nice audition for the rest of the MLB community.
Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics
RingCentral Coliseum – Oakland, CA
4:10 p.m. EST (Watch: ESPN+)
Starting Pitchers
HOU: Cristian Javier – R (1-0, 1.42 ERA/0.71 WHIP this season)
OAK: Jesus Luzardo – L (0-0, 2.31 ERA/1.11 WHIP this season)
Odds & Betting lines (bet365)
Total: 8.5 Runs | Over: +100 | Under: -120
HOU | Moneyline: +130 | Run Line (+1.5): +150
OAK | Moneyline: -150 | Run Line (-1.5): +130
Injury List
HOU: George Springer -OF (DTD), Yordan Alvarez -DH (IL), Austin Pruitt -RP (IL)
OAK: Jordan Weems -RP (IL)
Game Notes
Where’s the Money Going?
As of 12 p.m. EST today, here are the betting percentages:
– Moneyline: HOU, 61% of bets made | OAK, 73% of all money wagered
– Run Line: OAK, 54% of bets made | OAK, 69% of all money wagered
– Total: Under, 61% of bets made | Under, 57% of all money wagered
Semien Making Strides
Going into Friday’s game, A’s shortstop Marcus Semien was only hitting .177. However, he had the walkoff hit in the series opener and followed that up with a leadoff homer in yesterday’s game.
Betting Picks
A’s Moneyline (-150)
The Astros’ implied team total took a huge dip early on this afternoon, giving the indication that things will not go smoothly for them today. The A’s are rocking and rolling, and now that Luzardo is comfortable on the mound this makes their team that much more dynamic. Look for him to keep them at bay all day while the offense strings together some timely hitting.
