Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 9/12/24

Thursday’s matchup between the Athletics and Astros is set for 2:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. Oakland is currently on a two-game winning streak and is 64-82 overall, putting them 4th in the AL West. The Astros are 1st in the AL West with a record of 77-68 but they are the heavy favorite on the money line today at -245. Houston will be looking to end a three-game losing streak.

Thursday’s forecast in Houston calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 90s. Mitch Spence will start for the Athletics, while the Astros are sending Framber Valdez to the mound. The over/under line is sitting at 8 runs, and the game can be seen on MLB Extra Innings.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS VS HOUSTON ASTROS BETTING PICK

The Pick: OVER 8 Runs

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 2:10 ET on Thursday, September 12th.

HOW TO BET THE ATHLETICS VS ASTROS:

• We have the Astros winning by a score of 6 to 5
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Athletics to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this A’s vs Astros series. Oakland went into the matchup as +199 underdogs and squeaked out a 5-4 win. The A’s had a huge 6th inning, scoring three of their five runs. As for the Astros, they scored their four runs in the 2nd inning.

Hunter Brown got the start for the Astros, going just five innings while giving up five runs and took the loss. Joey Estes put together a good outing for the A’s, getting the win after going 6 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs.

Kyle McCann and Brent Rooker each homered for the A’s, while Max Schuemann scored twice and drove in two runs while going 2/3. Alex Bregman did all he could for the Astros, going 2/4 with two RBIs.

Athletics Records & Stats

Oakland is 64-82 overall, putting them 4th in the AL West, 13.5 games behind the Astros for the division lead. The Athletics have gone 21-24 against other teams in the AL West. They have won two straight games overall, and they are closing out the series vs. the Astros today with a 2-0 series lead.

As the road team today, the Athletics are 28-43 this season. They have been a bit better at home, going 36-39. So far, they have really struggled as the underdog, coming in with a mark of 53-77. Oakland’s overall series record is 17-23-5.

The A’s have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 81-65 overall. They are 40-31 on the run line on the road and have covered in two straight games. They have been a much better bet as an underdog, going 75-55 on the run line in those games. Their average run differential in losses is -3.6, while it is +3.2 in wins.

The Oakland Athletics are on the road today to face the Houston Astros. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Oakland’s games this season is 8.8 runs. The A’s over/under record for the season is 68-76, and their average over/under line is 8 runs. When the line has been set at 8 runs, their record is 17-16-1. Overall, 73 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, accounting for 50.0% of their games. On the other hand, 39 games have had lines set lower than 8 runs, making up 26.7% of their games.

Right-hander Mitch Spence gets the start for the Athletics today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 4.42. Spence’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.37. In his 31 appearances, he has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 7.66 strikeouts per nine innings. Spence’s last outing came on September 6th, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up one earned run in 4 1/3 innings of work. He has not taken a loss in his last three outings.

The Athletics offense has been one of the league’s best home run-hitting teams this season, but they are batting just .234 as a team and are averaging only 4.1 runs per game, which is 26th in the MLB. Oakland has been even worse on the road, averaging just 4 runs per contest. The team’s on-base percentage of .303 is 19th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of strikeouts.

Brent Rooker has been the Athletics top hitter this season, batting .299 with a team-high 35 home runs and 101 RBIs. He is also on a 5-game hitting streak. Shea Langeliers is also near the top of the team’s home run leaderboard, but he is batting just .223 for the season. Kyle McCann has gone 2/5 in his last two games, including a home run, while Zack Gelof has gone 7/21 in his last five games.

Astros Records & Stats

The Astros have dropped three straight games, and they are 77-68 overall this season. Currently, they lead the AL West by 3.5 games over the Mariners. This year, they have gone just 21-20 in divisional games.

At home, the Astros are 41-32 this season, and they are an even 36-36 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 59-49 this season and 18-19 as the underdog. The Astros have an overall series record of 24-19-2 this year.

The Astros have been a solid run line bet this season, going 73-72 overall. They have been a bit better on the road, going 39-33, compared to 34-39 at home. They have been a good run line bet as an underdog, going 25-12, but have struggled as a favorite, going 48-60. Their average run margin this season is +0.6 runs per game.

When the Astros play at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs, which is slightly lower than their season average of 8.6 runs per game. Overall, Houston has gone over the total in 59 of their 140 games, with an average over/under line of 9 runs per game. When the line is set at 8 runs, the Astros have a record of 12-13-2.

Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today and is coming off a great outing vs. the Diamondbacks. In that September 6th start, he went seven innings, picking up the win and not giving up a run. He only allowed two hits in the outing. Looking back further, Valdez has a WHIP of 1.09 and an ERA of 2.98. Opponents are batting .216 vs. Valdez this season. The left-hander has made 25 starts, and his record for the season is 14-6. Valdez has one complete game and 15 quality starts this year.

Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros’ top hitter this season, batting .313 with a league-leading 32 home runs and 80 RBIs. Jose Altuve has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 14/36 in his last nine games with one home run and five RBIs. Alex Bregman has 22 homers this season, which is 2nd on the team, but he is batting just .259.

As a team, the Astros are batting .261, which is the 3rd best mark in the league. They are also one of the top home run hitting teams in the league and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. So far, they have been better at home, averaging 4.8 runs per game.