Free Picks: Houston Astros vs. Oakland A’s

Houston has been publicly criticized by opposing fans since their World Series incident. But in the early going of the 2021 season, the Astros have quieted the haters. Sunday afternoon, Oakland and Houston close out their opening week series. For this contest, I focus on the money line and which team will walk away from Sunday’s bout as the winner.

Preparing for an afternoon contest against the Houston Astros on Saturday, the A’s and ‘Stros will close out their opening week series and 4-game slate on Sunday.

Focusing on the final game of the series, both teams are deep into their pitching rotation to close this out.

Jose Urquidy is the projected starter for Houston. Urquidy missed significant time last season, but still caused damage. The right-hander finished the season with 5 starts and only a 2.73 ERA. He also held opposing hitters to two runs or fewer in all five starts.

Countering Houston is lefty Sean Manaea. He had a relatively high ERA last season at 4.50 in 11 starts. But there have been reports of an uptick in fastball velocity for Manaea, so we will see how much that impacts the outcome of this game.

I have been impressed with Houston’s offense right out of the gate. In two games this season, the Astros are mustering a ton of hits and seeing pitches well. I think Houston’s early success will help formulate this MLB prediction.

Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Yuli Gurrriel, and Alex Bregman have been swinging a hot bat to open the season – which is I am trending towards Houston for this contest.

I think the Astros straight up will be your best MLB bet for this game. The A’s are on their 4th starter and the Astros are swinging a hot bat. Yes, the Astros are also deep into their rotation, but I don’t think the Athletics offense is as powerful as Houston’s.

Even if Oakland manages to muster up a handful of runs, the Astros have enough players to combat any offense from the A’s. This could change with Oakland’s matinee against Houston on Saturday – but all signs are pointing to another Astros victory.

Pitching has been a gigantic problem for Oakland already. The A’s have allowed 17 runs in two games and have been rocked around RingCentral Coliseum.

Look for this trend to continue on Sunday.

• Houston averages 8.5 runs per game.
• Manaea is 1-2 in last 3 starts against Houston
• The A’s average 4.20 runs per game against Houston in last 10.
• Houston has won 3 straight games against Oakland.