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Astros vs. Athletics Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, May 31 (Houston Aims to Secure Series Win in Oakland)

By Matt De Saro

Houston Astros v Washington Nationals
Houston Astros v Washington Nationals / Mitchell Layton/GettyImages
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The Houston Astros hope to pick up where they left off last night after crushing the Oakland Athletics 5-1 at the Coliseum. With the win, the Astros moved to 31-18 and grew their lead in the AL West over the Los Angeles Angels. What makes that win impressive to me is that the Astros did it against one of the hottest pitchers in the game.

Paul Blackburn saw his ERA shoot from 1.70 to 2.15 after suffering his first loss of the year. Tonight the A’s have another strong arm on the mound but I am hesitant to trust them twice in a row.

Here are the odds for this game, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook. 

Astros vs. Athletics Odds, Run Line, and Total

Run Line

  • Astros: -1.5 (+130)
  • Athletics: +1.5 (-160)

Moneyline:

  • Astros: -133
  • Athletics: +123

Total:

  • Total 6.5 (Over +100/Under -120)

Astros vs. Athletics Prediction and Pick

Cristian Javier will start tonight’s game against the Athletics on the heels of a few losses to very weak offenses. Javier put together a nice win over the Guardians on Wednesday but was beat up a bit in losses to Texas and Washington. The Astros are now 4-5 SU when Javier makes a start. However, despite the losses, Javier is having a very good season if you separate his results from the Astros. He enters with a 2.43 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 37 innings of work. Javier racked up 48 strikeouts and just 11 walks in that span. He does have a 5.40 ERA in 20 innings of work against the A’s dating back to last year. 

The A’s, meanwhile, are giving Frankie Montas his 11th start of the year despite going winless for over a month. His last win was against Baltimore on April 19. This is more of a byproduct of the A’s terrible offense, however, as Montas has a 3.28 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 57 ⅔ innings. Montas had 66 strikeouts and 15 walks in that time. He also has great career numbers against the ‘Stros with a 1.82 ERA in 24 ⅔ innings. 

Despite Montas’ success against Houston, he has not looked sharp lately. He is winless in his last seven starts and the A’s are 0-7 in those games straight up. Javier is the better arm right now and the Astros clearly have a better team. 

Pick: Astros -1.5 (+130)

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE

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