The Houston Astros (53-43) and Oakland Athletics (27-71) meet Thursday to kick off a 4-game series. First pitch from Oakland Coliseum is set for 9:40 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Astros vs. Athletics odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Astros lead 6-0
Houston won 4-1 as a -154 road favorite Wednesday to earn a split in a 2-game series with the Colorado Rockies. The Astros led from the 3rd inning through to the end of the game and RHP Brandon Bielak pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings allowing only 1 hit and striking out 4 batters.
Oakland won 6-5 as a +195 home underdog Wednesday to win a 3-game series vs. the Boston Red Sox 2-1. The Athletics led 6-2 by the end of the 4th inning but the Red Sox scored 3 runs over the next 2 frames but were unable to complete the comeback. Oakland has now won back-to-back games after an 8-game losing skid from July 6-17.
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Astros at Athletics projected starters
RHP J.P. France vs. LHP Hogan Harris
France (4-3, 3.31 ERA) makes his 13th start. He has a 1.26 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 6.4 K/9 through 70 2/3 IP.
- Last outing: No-decision, 4 1/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 9 H, 0 BB, 2 K in 7-5 road win Friday vs. Los Angeles Angels
- First career appearance vs. Oakland
Harris (2-3, 6.51 ERA) makes his 5th start and 11th appearance. He has a 1.47 WHIP, 4.2 BB/9 and 7.7 K/9 through 47 IP.
- Last outing: No-decision, 4 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 5 K as a reliever in 10-7 home loss Saturday vs. Minnesota
- Career vs. Houston: 0-0, 0.00 ERA (5 IP, 0 ER), 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K in 1 relief appearance
Astros at Athletics odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:48 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Astros -185 (bet $185 to win $100) | Athletics +150 (bet $100 to win $150)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Astros -1.5 (-110) | Athletics +1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Astros at Athletics picks and predictions
Prediction
Astros 9, Athletics 3
Moneyline
PASS.
The Astros (-185) should be able to pick up a win Thursday as they are clearly the better team and have dominated the Athletics in recent meetings, but the line is too rich and not worth the juice.
Run line/Against the spread
BET ASTROS -1.5 (-110).
The Astros are 9-1 in the last 10 Houston-Oakland matchups and are on a 7-game win streak vs. Oakland, 6 of which came this season. Houston is also 3-0 in France’s last 3 starts while the Athletics are 0-3 in Harris’ last 3 starts. Only 1 of the last 10 matchups between these teams has come down to a 1-run margin. The Astros should win, and they should do it by at least 2 runs.
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Over/Under
LEAN OVER 8.5 (-115).
The Over is 3-1 in Harris’ last 4 starts, is 4-1 in the Athletics’ last 5 games and is 7-2-1 in their last 10 overall.
The Over is 3-0 in France’s last 3 starts.
The Over is 2-0 in each of the last 2 matchups between Houston and Oakland.
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