Wednesday night baseball and I will have a Free Pick in the game between the Oakland A's and the Houston Astros, which will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. First pitch is scheduled for a 2:10 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised on the MLB Network.
Betting Odds
Oakland +141
Houston -151
Over/ Under: 8 U -125
This is game 3 of a 3 game series between these American League West foes. The A's are not playing good ball right now as they have won just 2 of their last 13 games. Last night they lost 6-4 and that now puts them at 14-27 on the year. The Hoston Astros have been playing good ball this year and have been the surprise of the you season so far as they come in leading the AL West with a 26-14 record. Oakland ranks 6th in the league in scoring (4.61 rpg), while on the mound they are 14th in ERA (4.05). The Astros rank 12th in scoring (4.40 rpg), while on the mound they are 8th in ERA (3.56).
Trends for this game include: Oakland is 7-22 in their last 29 during game 3 of a series, 7-26 in their last 33 games as an underdog and 5-21 in their last 26 games vs. a left-handed starter. The Houston Astros have gone 17-7 in their last 24 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5 and 16-5 in Keuchel's last 21 starts vs. the AL West, but 0-5 in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.
Taking the hill for Oakland tonight Jesse Hahn, who is 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 7 starts this year overall, while on the road he is 1-2 with a 5.84 ERA in 3 starts. Jess has yet to face the Astros in his brief career.
Getting the ball for the Astros tonight will be Dallas Keuchel, who is an impressive 5-0 with an 1.87 ERA in 8 starts this year, while at home he has gone 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in 4 starts. Dallas has faced the A's 0 times in his career with 8 of them being starts and he is 1-2 with a 3.19 ERA overall vs the A's.
Pick: I will go with the Under in this one. Last night was on pace for the Under but 5 runs in the bottom of the 8 and top of the 9th combined took care of that under. The A's have not been a good offensive team of late and they have really struggled vs lefties this year, especially on the road where they have his just 1.83 vs them this year. That number may not get much better vs Dallas Keuchel who has a 1.67 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP at home for the year. He will not give this Oakland offense much in this game. Jesse Hahn has not pitched all that well for the A's, but he is taking on the worst hitting offense in the league and I see him having a solid outing in this one. Keuchel's home starts have averaged just 5.25 rpg on the year and I wouldn't expect more than 6 in this one.
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MLB Free Betting Pick: Kansas City Royals at Cincinnnati Reds
Professional bettor Teddy Covers explains to handicapper Steve Fezzik why the Kansas City Royals will reign supreme in Cincinnati ths Wednesday and he can basicall be summed up in two words: Jason Marquis. Or, in song, using the WKRP in Cincinnati lyrics. As Covers points out, Marquis has played for several pro baseball teams the past couple of seasons and, while he is okay to plug in for a few innings, this guy's non-Petco Park ERA is a massive liability. With Cincinnati's liability on the mound, Teddy is willing to lay up to -150 on the Royals to win the game.