The San Francisco Giants (16-16 SU, -1.84 Units) have an offense ranked No. 29 in the majors coming into this week. Perhaps adding a DH in Interleague play will help on Tuesday against the Houston Astros (20-12 SU, +8.66 Units).
ODDS ANALYSIS
Crossing over to the American League was awful for the Giants in 2014. Sure, they did win the World Series at Kauffman Stadium and won two of the four games played there, but they went 2-8 on the road in American League parks in the regular season, costing bettors 6.71 units along the way.
Expect to see the Giants as dogs in this one going against one of the top budding pitchers in the game.
PITCHING MATCHUP
That budding arm is the one of Collin McHugh. McHugh is 27-years old, so he isn't your prototypical young prospect, but he is really coming along for the Astros this season.
The righty has had mostly quality starts this season in lasting at least 5.2 innings in all six of his outings and has allowed more than three runs only once. He has a 4-0 mark and a 3.23 ERA this year, and that 33/7 K/BB ratio is only getting better with every passing start.
Chris Heston will get the ball from Bruce Bochy in this clash, which will take him and his .071 career batting average out of the equation.
Heston has been all over the place this year. He’s had three starts in which he allowed just one earned run and threw six shutout innings against Arizona in his first outing of the year, but the starts in between saw him get shelled to the tune of 11 runs in 10.1 innings combined against the Padres and Rockies.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We'll probably match up for the most part the next couple of games. (Chad) Qualls with the most experience is likely to get the responsibility if the lineup is where I want it to be." – Astros manager A.J. Hinch on the Houston bullpen situation with closer Luke Gregerson out on the family medical emergency list
SITUATIONAL BETTING
Qualls hasn't exactly done his job perfectly in Gregerson's absence either. He did get the save against the Angels on Saturday, but it was a real adventure. He allowed three men on the base paths and gave up a run before finally shutting the door.
The righty now has six earned runs allowed in his last nine appearances, which isn't a great ratio for a man who could be called upon to close this game against one of the most clutch lineups in the game.
PROP TALK
Buster Posey got a day off for the most part on Sunday, though he was intentionally walked to load the bases for what ultimately became the tying and winning at bats against the Marlins.
Posey is a man to be feared right now, as he has a .451 OBP in his 13 games, reaching base safely in 12 of the 13.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Still, the Giants have averaged just 3.19 runs per game this season, and adding the DH isn't going to help any, especially with both Travis Ishikawa and Hunter Pence still yet to suit up this season.
Expect to see McHugh pitch another solid game, and when he does, the surprising 'Stros should put another one in the win column.
Houston 3, San Francisco 2
The MLB lines for this Tuesday contest will be first released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the San Francisco Giants versus the Houston Astros will commence at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. The matchup will be televised live on the MLB Network.
