Astros Open Series Against Athletics: Which Winning Streak will Continue?
By Cory Huybregts in MLB Baseball
Updated: March 26, 2020 at 11:33 am EDTPublished:
- The Oakland Athletics have won 16 of their last 20 games
- The Houston Astros are riding a six-game winning streak
- Watch the game at 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park
The Oakland Athletics look to continue their impressive month, as they face the Houston Astros in game one of the four-game series.
The Athletics sit ten games behind the Astros in the AL West and are 6.5 games behind Seattle for second in the division.
The Astros
The Houston Astros will continue to be without shortstop Alex Correa. Correa is set to miss his 13th consecutive game with a back injury. There has been no update on his injury, however, the Astros have a 9-3 record in his absence.
Correa’s injury likely cost him a chance to join five of his teammates in the All-Star Game, which is the most by any team in the MLB.
2017 MVP Jose Altuve was the leader in votes for the All-Star game, and will continue his run at a second MVP award. The 28-year-old is batting an astronomical .338 AVG this year, which is actually down from his .346 last season. He also has 9 HR, 44 RBI, and a .404 OBP. To put Altuve’s body of work into perspective, Jed Lowrie is leading the Athletics with .290 AVG this year.
[Altuve] is batting an astronomical .388 AVG this year, which is actually down from his .346 last season
Right-hander Gerrit Cole gets the start for the Astros in the series-opener. Cole has 27 strikeouts in 18 innings of work again the Athletics this year. He is also just nine strikeouts away from setting a new club record for Ks before the All-Star Break, a record currently held by Mike Scott.
In three of his last five starts Cole has given up four earned runs, something he didn’t do in his first 13 appearances. Look for Cole to bounce back against a familiar foe in the Athletics.
The Athletics
Right-hander Frankie Montas gets the start for the Athletics. This will be his second career start against the Astros.
The Athletics shut out the Indians yesterday (6-0) and improved to 16-4 in their last 20 games. However, the Athletics were swept at home by the Astros in a mid-June series. The Astros outscored the Athletics 26-11 in those three games.
The A’s are ten games over .500 for the first time since 2014
The A’s are ten games over .500 for the first time since 2014, when they lost to Kansas City in the Wild Card game. Look for the Athletics to continue their run into the All-Star break.
Oakland could get a big boost during this series, as well, as starter Trevor Cahill could be set to return during the series. In other injury news for the Athletics, Paul Blackburn was added to the DL yesterday, joining Daniel Gossett, Daniel Mengden, and Andrew Triggs.
Team Stats
| 50-40, 26-19 away | RECORD | 61-31, 29-17 home | |
| Frankie Montas, 4-2, 3.83 ERA | STARTING PITCHERS | Gerrit Cole, 9-2, 2.70 ERA | |
| 4-1 | LAST 5 GAMES | 5-0 | |
| 121 | Team HR | 118 | |
| .247 | Team BA | .263 | |
| 1.25 | WHIP | 1.05 | |
| .245 | OPP BA | .209 |
Opening Odds
| MONEYLINE | RUNLINE | O/U RUNS |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics +200 | Athletics +1.5(+110) | OVER 8(-110) |
| Astros -235 | Astros -1.5(-130) | UNDER 8 (-115) |
Athletics vs Astros Score Prediction
The Athletics are a streaking team with nothing to lose, but the Astros are a well-oiled machine that doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Gerrit Cole has the Athletics number this season, and I expect an excellent game from him tonight.
Astros 4- Athletics 1.
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Sports Writer
From hockey to football, to basketball, baseball, soccer, and rugby, Cory is on top of it all. He grew up playing sports, has worked around them ever since (including as a talent scout), and is one of SBD's most experienced bettors.
