The Oakland A’s only just finally tasted the thrill of victory after walking it off in extras to save some face and not get swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Had Mitch Moreland not lined the game winning single, the reigning AL West champs would’ve been forced to eat a big helping of humble pie after getting swept in each of its first two home series. Before the Dodgers had their way, it was the Houston Astros that continued rubbing the A’s noses in it. Remember, there’s some really bad blood between these division rivals due to Houston’s trash can antics. Dusty Baker’s troops destroying them in the ALDS a season ago and taking seven of the last eight overall meetings also has Bob Melvin’s squad a bit salty. They’ll look to get off the schneid in the series finale when Frankie Montas toes the bump for his second start, while the ‘Stros will counter with Jose Urquidy with each out to log their first win of the 2021 MLB betting season.
First pitch for the game between the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros is scheduled for Saturday, April 10, 2021, at 4:05 p.m. ET from Minute Maid Park. The matchup will air live on FOX. Bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
MLB Betting Lines at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The Athletics find themselves with company they’d much rather not be associated with. They’re currently one of only three teams that’ve managed just one win and have played at least five games to this point of the season. The end result has been an ugly -$450 return on investment at online sportsbooks. The poor start is quite the headscratcher considering Oakland has played its best ball in the comforts of The Coliseum for a number of years now. The A’s only managed to split their 30 played road games in 2020 -$320. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are the Astros who’ve done nothing but line MLB bettor’s pockets that backed them either on the moneyline or run-line through their first six games. At 5-1 overall $396, only the Phillies $418 and Orioles $434 have been more lucrative investments. Houston has also covered the run-line in every game $491 with the over cashing in at a 5-1 clip.
Probable Pitchers
Frankie Montas: It’s been a real struggle for the right-hander ever since he was busted for taking PEDs. While injuries have also played a role, Montas just hasn’t looked the same for a number of starts now. He did absolutely nothing to calm his prop and fantasy supporter’s down in his season debut after the Dodgers wrecked him for 7 hits 1 HR and 7 ER through only 2.2 innings and 90 pitches thrown. While the 4 Ks was nice, the three walks weren’t. The loss dropped him to 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and .500 BAA over seven career starts against the Astros. Lifetime at Minute Maid, the righty stands 1-2 with a bloated 5.87 ERA after allowing 18 hits 3 HR and 10 ER through 15.1 innings over three starts.
Jose Urquidy: The final stat line from No. 65’s season debut read as follows: 4.1 innings, 4 hits, 2 ER, 5 K, 2BB. Not bad, but not great either. However, Dusty Baker let the big guy hurl 101 pitches which amounted to the most thrown by any pitcher that day. On top of that, he registered 13 whiffs and a 26 percent CSW which is short for called strikes plus whiffs; not too shabby! His fastball and slider had the A’s guessing, but his changeup and curveball just weren’t working. Because of it, Oakland forced him to throw so many extra pitches which led to the early exit and no decision. Though yet to log a win against Oakland through three career starts, Urquidy has done a fantastic job limiting the A’s bats in allowing just seven hits through 15.1 total innings. It’s amounted to a 2.93 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and .063 BAA!
A’s vs. Astros Prediction
Though I desperately want to see Montas turn it around considering he’s rostered on my home league fantasy team, I won’t be paying up to see if he rediscovers his control on Saturday. The righty having all kinds of issues in “The Juice Box” also has me weary of backing the road dog. That said, I can’t help but think Oakland fights tooth and nail throughout this series. Michael Brantley played a prominent role in the Astros busting the brooms out in Oakland last weekend, but he might not be available for this series due to a wrist injury. That’s a potent bat Houston will be without at the top of the order. If you take the two playoff games out of the equation, these teams had played to low scorers five of the last eight times they squared off in Houston. With the A’s suffering on the injury front and Urquidy flat-out owning them the few times he’s thrown at them, I don’t foresee Oakland having much success offensively. I like the under and know full well cashing the ticket in will ultimately come down to Montas getting his head out of his behind.
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