Houston’s Hiding in AL West
The Houston Astros look to fatten their AL West lead Friday night when they begin a three-game series at the division-doormat Oakland Athletics. Houston has won nine of its last 10, increasing its advantage to 13 games over the second-place Seattle Mariners. Oakland had a two-game winning streak snapped with a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday night, in last place in the division. These two teams meet six times before the All-Star break, so both look for an early advantage Friday night. Read our in-depth preview of the series opener to help with your betting.
Check the latest MLB news, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds for Astros vs Athletics. There are plenty of MLB picks & predictions.
Verlander Stopped Staffing Issues
The Houston Astros allowed a 20 runs in the first three games of their series with the Kansas City Royals, but Thursday, the veteran Justin Verlander came through with a gem. He surrendered two runs (one earned) over six innings to earn his 11th win of the season. The 39-year-old is tied for the major league lead in victories after missing much of the last two seasons with an injured elbow.
“I had to make some pitches in some big spots and trust my defense behind me,” Verlander said “Every game is not going to go perfectly without traffic. Today was one of those games where you had to grind a bit.”
Right-hander Jose Urquidy will get the start in Friday’s series opener. Urquidy is 7-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 15 starts, striking out 63 and walking 19 in 80⅓ innings. He’s surrendered just a single earned run in each of his last three starts, including a win over the Los Angeles Angels this past Saturday. In that contest, he went six innings and allowed two hits, striking out eight and walking three.
Outfielder Yordan Alvarez continued his terrific season with his 26th home run in Thursday’s win, third in the majors in the category. Alvarez leads the Astros with a .312 batting average and 59 RBIs, adding 10 doubles, two triples, and 55 runs scored.
Second baseman Jose Altuve has also been hot, entering Friday’s contest with a six-game hitting streak and batting .435 in the month of July. Altuve is hitting .280 on the season with 15 doubles, 17 home runs, 32 RBIs and 44 runs scored.
Athletics’ Dismal Days
The Oakland Athletics haven’t been a good team at home this season, coming into Friday with a 10-29 record. That’s after winning two of three in their last series with the Toronto Blue Jays. On their previous trip to Oakland this season, the Houston Astros swept all three games in the series.
Righty Paul Blackburn is on the mound for Oakland in Friday’s opener. Blackburn, the staff ace, is 6-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 67 in 87 innings. He lost in his first start against the Astros this season (four runs, five hits-including two homers- in 6 ⅔ innings, striking out five and no walks).
The Oakland offense has been inconsistent, scoring once in each of the last three losses but five times in each of their last two wins.
Designated hitter Ramon Laureano accounted for the only run in the team’s last contest (2-1 loss to Toronto) with a solo homer. Laureano is batting .246 with 12 doubles, six home runs, 15 RBIs and 27 runs scored in 53 games.
Astros vs Athletics Head-To-Head
The Houston Astros have had the advantage in this rivalry for much of the last few years, winning the season series all but once dating to 2014. The Oakland Athletics had a majority of victories between these two division rivals in 2020, winning eight-of-14.
Playing at home hasn’t helped, with the Astros winning the majority of games played at the Coliseum in five of the last six seasons in this series. The MLB lines for Friday suggest the bookmakers expect that trend to continue, with Houston favored to win.
Astros vs Athletics Game Information
- Game: Astros (54-28) vs Athletics (28-56)
- Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA
- Day/Time: Friday, 9:40 p.m. ET
- Astros vs Athletics Live stream: MLB.tv
Astros vs Athletics Betting Lines
| Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Total | Team Total |
| Houston Astros J. Urquidy -R | -1½ -105 | -175 | 7½-105o | 4½+105o / 4½-135u |
| Oakland Athletics P. Blackburn -R | +1½ -115 | +155 | 7½-115u | 2½-140o / 2½+110u |
Astros vs Athletics Prediction
The Houston Astros are playing very well right now, and their pitching staff faces one of the game’s worst offenses. The Oakland Athletics just don’t have the firepower to stay with the division-leading Astros, who will open this series with a victory.
In MLB picks, take Houston to grab the road win.
