Scott Kazmir (2-0, 1.33 ERA) and the Oakland Athletics (8-9) go up against Dallas Keuchel (2-0, 0.90 ERA) and the Houston Astros (8-7) in the first of a three-game division series at O.C. Coliseum. The game starts at 10:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 24 and will air on ROOT-SW and CSN-CA.
Kazmir is 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA against the Astros in his career, and is up against a less-than-stellar Houston offense that’s hitting just .215 on the year. Stephen Vogt (.360, 8 Rs, 4 HRs, 14 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. In his career against the Athletics, Keuchel is 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA. He gets a solid Oakland offense that’s batting .280. Jed Lowrie (.283, 5 Rs, 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well to start the season, going 3 for 3 Wednesday.
Oakland, a -131 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Houston. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is seven runs. The Athletics have a losing record of 3-5 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of -121. They have a winless record (0-2) in games played as the favorite during their last 10 games. The Athletics lead the AL in hits at home with 11.1 per game. As for the pitching staff, the Athletics rank fourth in the AL in ERA with a 3.34 team average. The Athletics are third in the league in WHIP at 1.08.
On the other side, the Astros have a record of 4-4 when they are the underdog and are +190 overall with the money line. Against divisional opponents, they are 7-5 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 4-3 record. Houston has stepped up their play against division opponents. They have averaged 3.8 runs per game, more than their season average of 3.3. Houston is a terror on the base paths, ranking second in the MLB with 16 stolen bases. Switching gears to Houston’s pitching staff, they have a WHIP of 1.09 on the year, good for fifth in the league.
In their previous three games this season, the Athletics have a 2-1 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
The Astros lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Athletics are 0-2. The Astros are 1-1 in close games this season.
When the Astros play into extra innings, they have a 1-0 record. The Athletics are 0-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Astros are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded four strikeouts. The Athletics have a record of 2-1 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 4-4. The Athletics have a 7-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 25th in runs, Houston has earned 49 this season. Oakland ranks fourth with 83 runs.
Ranking 12th, Oakland is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 50 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 54.
When the Athletics hit at least one home run, they are 6-2. When the Astros hit at least one homer, they have a 6-5 record.
