The Houston Astros ( 29-16, $1,346 ) head east looking to remain atop of their division as they take on a Baltimore Orioles ( 19-22, -$372 ) struggling for consistency as they continue to try and right the ship in the lackluster AL East.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Last year, the Orioles won four of seven against the Astros, though this year, Houston sits atop the AL West instead of at the bottom of it.
Houston’s turnaround has been quite remarkable. The team has a number of quality players in George Springer ( .743 OPS ), Jose Altuve ( .345 OBP ) and Colby Rasmus ( .813 OPS ) among others, but their style of play seems unsustainable, at least offensively where they struggle to get on base and struggle to put the bat on the ball.
For the Orioles, they too have some really good names despite some inconsistencies. Adam Jones has cooled off this month after a torrid start, but is still OPSing at a .863 clip. Manny Machado has also produced will with a .819 OPS and .345 OBP as he has grabbed ahold of the leadoff spot. The biggest surprise, however, is Jimmy Paredes. The DH is hitting .352 with a .973 OPS to burst onto the scene.
Still, the Orioles are coming off a series where they dropped two of three to a Miami Marlins squad that dropped seven straight and 10 of 11 until the O’s came to town.
PITCHING MATCHUP
There is a very interesting pitching matchup set for this series finale as Collin McHugh and Ubaldo Jimenez both take to the hill.
Jimenez was a bust of a free agent signing in his first year with the Orioles last year, eventually losing his rotation spot and being left off the postseason roster. His start to this year, however, has been much better as he is 3-3 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.119 WHIP through 44 2/3 innings of work.
Jimenez’s biggest issue a year ago was his control and he is walking just 2.6 per nine innings down from 5.5 last year and 4.1 for his career. While pitching better, he is not quite as dominant in May as he was in April. In April he posted a 1.59 ERA, in May, his ERA is up to 4.09 as he lasted less than five innings in two of his four starts.
McHugh also had a hot April and mediocre May. In April he posted a 2.92 ERA in four starts and has a 4.91 mark in five May outings. He has gone at least seven innings in four of those five starts though with three quality starts.
On the year, he is 5-2 with a 4.06 ERA and 1.214 WHIP in 57.2 innings spanning nine starts.
QUOTE TO NOTE
Astros starter Collin McHugh was not happy with his performance after his last outing, saying:
“I was pretty bad. I was pretty bad with the fastball command. Too many cutters. Too many hard-hit balls. I was behind too many batters.”
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
Houston’s offense is basically home run or strike out. While that is obviously not literally true, the Astros do lead baseball in both categories by a considerable margin.
Jose Altuve and Jake Marisnick are the only two everyday players with an average over .250 and Altuve and George Springer are the only ones that get on base at a clip over .320.
Despite the deficiencies getting on base, the Astros still have a prolific offense due to the long ball as seven different players have at least five home runs while Luis Valbuena leads the team with 10 and Evan Gattis along with Colby Rasmus each have eight.
On the other side, the Orioles have a bunch of pop, too, though the loss of Nelson Cruz in the offseason did zap away some of their power.
The team’s offense has actually struggled in May, scoring just 68 runs, the third fewest in all of baseball. In general, the team’s offense has been streaky as evidenced by them failing to score in 13 innings against the Marlins on Saturday.
PROP TALK
Keep an eye on Colby Rasmus on Wednesday. After his Blue Jays career came to an end with him on the bench last year, Rasmus has found himself again. He still isn’t hitting for average, but his power plays in Houston. He has the most career at bats against Jimenez of any of his teammates and has produced.
Overall, Rasmus is 10 for 27 with five doubles, a triple and a home run.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Houston has had the better season to date, there is no arguing that, but the Orioles starter—although not as good in May—has struggled less this month than McHugh. In the bullpen, the Astros do have the edge with a 2.14 ERA that ranks second in the league, but the Orioles’ pen has picked it up after a slow start with solid performances from Zach Britton and Darren O’Day.
Given the starters in this one and the fact if any team can keep up with the Astros’ power, it is the Orioles. I have the Birds in a game likely to feature a plethora of few home runs.
Baltimore 6, Houston 5
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Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at 4:35 p.m. ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
