Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros 5/20/2023 Picks Predictions

Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros 5/20/2023 Picks Predictions Previews

The Oakland Athletics will go against the Houston Astros in MLB action in Minute Maid Park, TX, on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 4:10 PM ET. The Oakland Athletics, a baseball team that will soon be based in Las Vegas, are terrible.

No matter what happens on Friday night, they will have the poorest record and run differential in MLB.

The leading cause of Oakland’s problems, which have them on track to be the most inferior team in MLB’s 162-game history, is their historically poor pitching staff.

The worst single-season team ERA in MLB history was higher than their team ERA going into this series, which was 7.13. JP Sears, expected to start this game, is unquestionably their greatest starting pitcher when healthy.

Although not historically bad, Oakland’s offensive could be more robust. There are several positive aspects, such as that despite batting in a pitcher’s park, they entered the weekend with the 12th-most home runs.

DH Brent Rooker was one of the four MLB players with an OPS over 1.000 going into this series. The A’s rank fourth in stolen bases and 11th in walk rate.

Sadly, they are also 27th in runs per game due to a strikeout percentage ranked 26th. What matters are runs, and they are scoring less than the competition. Oakland ranks fifth in the AL East.

The Oakland Athletics are 1-4 in their last five matches against the spread.
The Oakland Athletics are 7-13 in their road matches against the spread.
The totals went OVER in 2 of Athletics’ last five games.

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Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros Predictions 5/20/2023

Jose Altuve, who suffered a broken thumb in the World Baseball Classic, made his season debut on Friday. He was there through the good, terrible, and ugly.

Without him, Houston’s offense is recently improving, ranking 15th in runs per game. Even having him there should keep the offense moving forward and possibly add some pop.

The Astros were top-five in both home runs and slugging percentage the previous season, but they are currently ranked 25th and 27th, respectively.

They have a top-10 strikeout rate but a bottom-10 walk rate. This lineup features several elite hitters, but it could have been more impressive overall. Altuve may elevate them to a new level.

Houston’s pitching, which came into this series with the lowest ERA in the majors, is still the team’s most vital asset. Hunter Brown, a rookie, joined an elite starting rotation with ease to start the game.

Brown made a few big league outings last year, and through eight starts in 2023, he amassed a 3.43 ERA and 3.48 FIP.

His walk rate is the 18th-highest among qualifying starting pitchers, so walks are a problem. The Houston Astros ranks second in the AL East.

The Houston Astros are 2-3 in their last five matches against the spread.
The Houston Astros are 12-9 in their road matches against the spread.
The totals went OVER in 3 of the Astros’ last five games.

Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros. The MLB pick for this game is the Houston Astros.

This match is the solo play of value when choosing a side unless you think the Athletics will keep the game within one run or pull off the upset, two things that rarely occurred this year.

Through over 50 games, Oakland is playing like the worst team in history, and their traveling pitchers have an ERA above 8.50 this year.

Houston’s offense was in high gear, with 20 runs scored in three games against the Cubs before this series. The Astros should be able to do it in this game. The Houston Astros will win to a predicted score of 5-4.

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