Astros vs. Athletics Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Saturday, May 20, 2023

The Houston Astros (25-19) will vie for their sixth straight victory when they host the Oakland Athletics (10-36) on Saturday at 4:10 PM ET on SportsNet SW. The Astros are listed as -304 favorites by bookmakers, while the Athletics are +248 underdogs.

Hunter Brown will get the ball for Houston while Oakland will counter with JP Sears.

Astros vs. Athletics Odds

• Astros odds to win: -304
• Athletics odds to win: +248
• Spread: Astros -1.5
• Total: 8.5 runs

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Game Time and Information

• Date: Saturday, May 20, 2023
• Time: 4:10 PM ET
• TV: SportsNet SW

Who Will Win Astros vs. Athletics?

Astros and Athletics Betting Trends

The Astros have been the moneyline favorite 30 total times this season. They’ve gone 16-14 in those games.

Houston has not played a game this season with moneyline odds of -304 or shorter.

This season, the Athletics have been the underdog 45 times and won 10, or 22.2%, of those games.

This season, Oakland has been at least a +248 underdog on the moneyline three times, losing each of those contests.

The Astros have combined with opponents to go over the total 22 times this season for a 22-21-1 record against the over/under.

Games involving the Athletics have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 27 of 46 chances this season.

Astros Stats & Insights

The Astros have the No. 17 offense in MLB play scoring 4.5 runs per game (196 total runs).

Houston is 25th in baseball with 39 total home runs.

The Astros rank 16th in the majors with a .246 batting average.

Houston strikes out 8.1 times per game, the sixth-best average in the majors.

The 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings put together by the Astros pitching staff ranks second in the majors.

Houston’s 3.31 team ERA ranks first among all MLB pitching staffs.

Athletics Stats & Insights

The Athletics are among the lowest scoring teams in the league, ranking 26th with just 174 total runs (3.8 per game) this season.

Oakland has hit 53 homers this season, which ranks 13th in the majors.

The Athletics rank 25th in MLB with a .229 team batting average.

Oakland is a team with a lot of swing and miss this season, ranking 29th with an average of 9.4 strikeouts per game.

The Athletics average just 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings as a pitching staff, which ranks 28th in the league.

Oakland has the 30th-ranked ERA (7.08) in the majors this season.

Astros Key Players to Watch

Brown (4-1) takes the mound for the Astros in his ninth start of the season. He has a 3.43 ERA in 44 2/3 innings pitched, with 47 strikeouts.

Kyle Tucker has been key for Houston with seven home runs, 32 RBI and a batting average of .282 this season.

Yordan Alvarez leads Houston in home runs with nine and runs batted in with 39.

Alex Bregman has collected 37 base hits, an OBP of .337 and a slugging percentage of .373 this season.

Jeremy Pena has 43 hits and an OBP of .297 to go with a slugging percentage of .429 this season.

Athletics Key Players to Watch

The Athletics will hand the ball to Sears (0-3) for his ninth start of the season.

Brent Rooker has a team-high batting average of .286, while pacing the Athletics in home runs (11) and runs batted in (30).

Esteury Ruiz is batting .282 with 12 doubles, a triple, a home run and eight walks.

Ryan Noda is hitting .218 with eight doubles, a triple, four home runs and 31 walks.

Shea Langeliers is hitting .228 with four doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 13 walks.

Astros and Athletics Injuries

Astros: Michael Brantley: 10 Day IL (Shoulder), Jose Urquidy: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Luis Garcia: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Parker Mushinski: 15 Day IL (Spine)

Athletics: Seth Brown: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Trevor May: 15 Day IL (Personal), Zach Jackson: 15 Day IL (Undisclosed), Mason Miller: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Drew Rucinski: 15 Day IL (Illness), Paul Blackburn: 15 Day IL (Finger), Dany Jimenez: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Freddy Tarnok: 60 Day IL (Undisclosed), Kirby Snead: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Manny Piña: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Ken Waldichuk: day-to-day (Calf)

Astros vs. Athletics Prediction

Score Prediction: Astros 5, Athletics 3

Total Prediction: Under 8.5 runs

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