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The Houston Astros will be hosting the Oakland Athletics on Friday night. This matchup will feature two American League West teams with completely opposite season trajectories. Still, the season series is tied at six games to six, which sums up how unpredictable baseball can be.
The Astros defeated the Texas Rangers 7-3 on Thursday to improve to 72-41 on the year. Looking at the Athletics, they are now 41-71 on the season after their series loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Houston has been a great home team again this season, and they currently have an 11-game divison lead over the Seattle Mariners.
"Six straight Silver Boots." - Astros
Houston will go with Luis Garica for Friday's contest. He is 8-8 with a 3.93 ERA over 20 starts in 2022. The Athletics offense he'll be up against ranks second-lowest in runs per game and second-lowest in OPS, which isn't surprising looking at their lineup.
In his last outing, Garica threw six innings, giving up nine hits and four earned runs in a loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Garcia didn't have a great start against Oakland at the end of July either, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings. He'll look to perform better this time around at home.
Adam Oller will start Friday for the A's. He is 1-5, with a 8.66 ERA as a starter in eight outings this year. Last time out, he got shelled. He went five frames, surrendering eight hits and four earned runs.
The Astros offense he'll be up against is very patient, and they're averaging 4.9 runs per contest over their last seven. Oller has faced the Astros twice, and in 9 1/3 total frames, he has given up six runs. Houston should be able to get to Oller, who has had a rough season, once again on Friday.
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Match Details
Fixture: Oakland Athletics @ Houston Astros
Date & Time: Friday, August 12, 8:10 p.m. EDT
Venue: Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Betting Odds
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Best Picks
Alex Bregman is projected to bat cleanup against Adam Oller on Friday. The Astros have been able to hit Oller well, so expect Bregman, who has a .947 home OPS, to drive in a run on Friday.
"Big Dad Energy." - Astros
Pick: Alex Bregman Over 0.5 RBIs (+123)
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Betting Prediction
The first-place Astros have struggled with the last-place A's this year, which is interesting considering the talent disparity. On the flip side, the Athletics are slumping and in the middle of a five-game losing streak. Oller is very hittable, so the best bet is to go with the Astros to put up a decent amount of runs.
Prediction: Astros Team Total Over 5 Runs (-125)
