Free MLB Pick: Astros vs Athletics Odds
Looking for Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics free MLB predictions? MLB betting sees the Astros taking on the Athletics on Monday, October 5, 2020 at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all MLB baseball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily MLB predictions like this Astros Athletics free pick.
2020 MLB Postseason Handicapping
AL Divisional Series Game 1 of 5
(0-0) Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics (0-0)
Date: Monday, October 5, 2020
Time: 4:05 PM ET
Venue: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA.
Projected Pitchers: Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU), Chris Bassitt (OAK)
MLB Moneyline Odds: Houston +125 / Oakland -140
MLB RunLine Betting Odds: Houston (+1.5) -165 // TB (-1.5) +140
MLB Baseball Gambling Total: 8
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The Astros and Athletics kick off a best-of-five American League Division Series at neutral site Dodger Stadium on Monday afternoon. The second-seeded Athletics are the higher seed against the seventh seed Astros.
The American League West champion Athletics hope trends continue after taking 7 of 10 regular season matchups against their division rivals.
Houston Astros
The Astros won their first playoff series since the MLB handed out sanctions for their cheating scandal. Houston has drawn the ire of fans and opposing players since the the scandal was made public. They have to be hoping to make a run in the playoffs to silence some of the that external noise.
Houston had also had a mediocre year at the plate hitting .240 with a weighted on-base average of .311. Both are significant drop offs from the 2019 season when they led the league in both categories hitting .274 with a wOBA of .355. They have their work cut out for them looking to turn things around against Bassitt in game 1.
Lance McCullers Jr. will make the start for the Astros in game 1. He is 3-3 with a 3.93 ERA on the year. This was his first season back after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery last year.
McCullers has found his stride of late and hasn’t given up an earned run in his last 3 starts over 17.2 innings of work.
Oakland Athletics
Oakland heads into game 1 after edging out the Chicago White Sox in a winner take all game 3. They look to turn things around at the plate after a meager offensive performance in the Wild Card Series. They only hit .194 and scored an average of 4 runs per game in the series and relied on their pitching to move on.
Despite winning the AL West Oakland was mediocre at the plate this year hitting .225 and ranking 16th with a weighted on-base average of .314. A lot of their success can be attributed to the stellar performance of their bullpen which held an MLB best ERA of 2.72 in the regular season.
The Athletics have felt the effects of losing third basemen to a season ending hip injury in September. They hope to get more production at the plate to avoid relying on their bullpen to win them games.
Righty Chris Bassitt will take the mound for Oakland in game 1. He has pitched well for the A’s this year and been their go to guy. He is 4-0 with a blistering .54 ERA over his last 5 starts.
MLB Baseball Betting Trends:
- Over is 7-2 in NYY last 9 games following a win.
- Over is 11-4 in NYY last 15 games as a favorite.
- Over is 11-4 in NYY last 15 overall.
- Under is 10-2 in TB last 12 on grass.
- TB are 10-2 in their last 12 games as an underdog.
- Over is 9-2 in TB last 11 Mon. games.
- Head to Head: NYY are 1-7 in the last 8 meetings in Tampa Bay.
- Head to Head: NYY are 1-7 in the last 8 meetings.
Free Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics MLB Prediction: the under comes in.
Neither team has had stellar years at the plate. In a playoff matchup of starting pitchers that have been hot there’s no reason to expect a slugfest on Monday.
Dodger Stadium is a pitcher friendly park and in an important game expect both managers to be aggressive with their strategy and decisions in this one. I’ll take the under in game 1.
4* Free MLB Betting Pick: Under 8
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