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San Francisco Giants at Houston Astros Betting Preview 05/23/18

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants will be squaring off against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET and ATTSN Southwest will be showing this interleague matchup.

San Francisco Giants vs. Houston Astros Odds

Houston (-240) is favored over San Francisco (+220) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this afternoon game at 7.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total stand at -105 for the under and -115 for the over. The game’s most recent runline odds stand at +100 for taking the Giants +1.5 runs and -120 for the Astros -1.5.

The Astros are 31-18 SU and 26-22 ATS. The team’s lost 1.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 2.0 units against the spread (ATS). Houston has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Giants, on the other hand, are 24-25 SU and have gone 29-19 ATS. In total, the team’s accumulated 3.5 units for moneyline gamblers in the season’s early going and 7.5 units ATS. San Franciscohas covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.

Houston games have a 15-30-3 over/under record so far in 2018. San Francisco has an over/under record of 25-21-2.

The right-handed Jeff Samardzija is getting the start for San Francisco. Samardzija is 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA and 23 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Astros this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.

The Astros are turning to righty Justin Verlander (5-2, 1.05 ERA), who’s got 84 punchouts and 14 walks as well as a WHIP of 0.71. Verlander did not record a start against the Giants in 2017.

Houston’s pitching staff has allowed 2.6 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The club’s starters have an ERA of 2.26, a WHIP of 0.94 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.6. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 2.82, a WHIP of 1.06 and a K/9 of 9.8.

Houston’s offense has put up 4.7 runs per contest, including 4.2 per game over its last 10 games and 4.8 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .286/.339/.466 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.

The Astros’ offense has been led by second baseman Jose Altuve and right fielder George Springer. Altuve is hitting .318/.367/.419 with 63 hits, 22 RBIs and 24 runs scored, while Springer’s line is .289/.351/.484 with nine homers, 29 RBIs and 35 runs.

Altuve saw a slight decline in production against righties at home last season, slashing .296/.358/.412 over 260 such plate appearances (compared to his overall season line of .345/.409/.547).

For the visiting squad, San Francisco’s pitchers have allowed 4.8 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.65 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 6.91 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.23, along with a WHIP of 1.37 and a K/9 of 8.66.

The Giants offense has slashed .260/.322/.411 on its way to 4.1 runs scored per game this season, including 5.2 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).

First baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford have led San Francisco’s hitters. Belt is slashing .313/.415/.595 with 11 home runs, 29 RBIs and 28 runs scored, while Crawford is hitting .309/.343/.473 with five homers, 21 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

The Giants have lost 3.5 units and are 15-13 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 12 of those games, compared to 14 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Astros have netted 2.1 units and are 18-14 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 10 of those games, compared to 20 that went under the total.

San Francisco Giants at Houston Astros Free MLB Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Giants, O/U – OVER

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Notes

Betting Trends

The Astros have won five of their last six games SU.

San Francisco has posted 27.0 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 24.4 over its last five.

The Giants have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games. The Astros have hit 11 over their last 10.

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Written by GMS Previews

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