Oakland A’s vs. Houston Astros, 7/9/2018 Prediction & Odds
A pair of hot teams will meet in Houston on Monday night where the Astros host the A’s at 8:10 p.m. ET. Will Game 1 of the series turn high-scoring for bettors?
Game Snapshot & Odds
919 Oakland A’s (+205) at 920 Houston Astros (-250); 8.5 runs
Monday, July 9, 2018
8:10 p.m. ET, Minute Maid Park
TV: OAk (CSCA); HOU (ATTH)
Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Astros as a -250 favorite. As of this writing, 70% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Astros to beat the A’s on the moneyline.
A’s Montas hit hard in home loss vs. Indians in last start
Frankie Montas allowed three earned runs, nine hits and no walks with six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a loss against the Indians on Sunday. Montas wasn’t so bad, departing behind 3-1 but still pitching well enough to give his team a chance. The bullpen knuckled under, yielding 12 earned runs in just 3 1/3 innings of work.
Astros’ Cole allows four runs in five innings vs. Rangers
Gerrit Cole surrendered four runs in five innings and did not get a decision as his team beat the Rangers on Wednesday. He struck out seven in the short outing but gave up eight hits and two walks. Shin-Soo Choo touched him up for a solo dinger in the third inning. Cole fell behind 4-0 but the Astros’ offense was able to bail him out and ultimately won the game in extra innings. He has been in a bit of a rut lately, although his total numbers still look great for the season. He is 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 18 starts. He has a fantastic 158:38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 116 2/3 innings.
MLB Betting Trends
Oakland
The A’s have won seven of their last eight road games.
Houston
The Astros have won five straight when Cole starts at Minute Maid Park.
Prediction:
The over is 10-2-1 in the last 13 meetings between these two teams. It is also 7-0-1 in the A’s last eight divisional games and is 6-0 in Montas’ last six starts overall. On the other side, the over is a perfect 5-0 in Cole’s last five home starts and 7-0 in the Astros’ last seven games when facing an opponent with a winning record.
The Pick: A’s/Astros over 8.5
