Athletics vs Houston Astros Prediction & Betting Tips - MLB

Prediction published on 22/07/2023, 09:10  by Joseph King | Modified on 22/07/2023 at 09:11 in MLB Predictions

An AL West matchup in Major League Baseball sees a Saturday night clash between the second-place Houston Astros and the last-placed Oakland Athletics. This is the third game of a four game series between the two ball clubs with the Astros having won the first two encounters. The reigning champions will be looking for their 10th consecutive win over Oakland and ninth in a row in the 2023 season. They won the first game of the current series by a score of 3-1 and followed that up with a 6-4 game two win yesterday. Houston has now won their last three in a row overall and are on a run of six wins from their last 10. The visitors will send out Cristian Javier to the mound who is 7-1 on the year with a 4.39 ERA. Javier has really struggled on the road this season where his ERA shoots up to 5.47 compared to 3.00 at home. His last outing saw him last five innings and give up three earned runs in a 9-8 win over the Angels.

The Athletics have the MLB’s worst record so far this season with only 27 wins from 100 games played. Things don’t improve much for the As at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum either where they have posted a record of 14 wins and 38 losses. The hosts home into this game looking for their first win over Houston this season and out to put an end to a two game losing streak. Overall, Oakland has managed only two wins from their last 10, during which time they have scored a total of 35 runs. Paul Blackburn gets the nod for the home team and is sporting a 1-2 record with an ERA of 5.48. Blackburn had a rough outing in his last appearance, giving up six earned runs to the Red Sox in a 7-0 loss.