Astros vs. Athletics Prediction and Odds for Monday, May 30 (Happy Paul Blackburn Day!)

The 20-30 Oakland Athletics host the 30-18 Houston Astros at 4:07 PM EST today after both teams snapped short losing streaks yesterday.

Houston's offense is really struggling, scoring two or fewer runs in each of their last four games. They'll send Framber Valdez to the mound today hoping to generate more run support. Valdez has a quality start in five consecutive outings, compiling a 4-2 record and 2.83 ERA on the year.

Paul Blackburn opposes Valdez and he's been even better. With a 5-0 record and 1.70 ERA, Blackburn has been the bright spot on an otherwise disappointing Athletics roster.

Can Blackburn give the A's a chance at an upset or will Valdez's consistency provide Houston a road win?

Let's check out the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook to help find out ahead of this Astros vs Athletics matchup:

Astros vs Athletics Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

• Astros -1.5 (-110)
• Athletics +1.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Astros: -175
• Athletics: +160

Total:

• 7.0 (Over -120/Under +100)

Astros vs Athletics Prediction and Pick

It's a very special holiday today, indeed. That's right, it's Paul Blackburn day! Everyone's new favorite pitcher has been a revelation for Oakland and provided bettors with one of the best weekly values in the sport.

After Blackburn limited Seattle to just one hit over five scoreless innings last week, the Athletics are now 8-1 in his nine starts. Their only loss came in extra innings after a blown save, so Blackburn has put Oakland in a position to win in every single outing he's had.

If you bet $100 on the Athletics moneyline in all of Blackburn's starts, you'd be up $995.

I'm not fixing something that ain't broke, so I'll keep betting Oakland as long as they're big underdogs with Blackburn on the mound. Valdez is a difficult matchup, but the A's rank in the top-10 in OPS against left-handed pitchers this month and have been much better offensively than Houston lately.

There's something seriously wrong with the Astros lineup and I have no faith in them against Blackburn. And while there's tremendous value on the A's, there's also value on the under.

The under is 36-12 in Astros' games this season and 10-1 over their last 11. With two elite pitchers squaring off and questionable-at-best lineups, I expect that trend to continue. Give me Oakland in a low-scoring affair as two of the best MLB bets of the season keep rolling.

Pick: Athletics (+160) and Under 7 (+100)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.