The top teams in the AL West kick off a three-game set on Tuesday as the first-place Houston Astros host the Oakland Athletics.
Houston stormed back after getting swept by the Orioles, taking four straight from Cleveland and heads into this marquee series with a 3.5-game lead over Oakland.
Can the 'Stros make it five in a row? Find out with our free MLB betting picks and predictions for A's vs. Astros on July 6.
A's vs Astros game info
• Location: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
• Date: Tuesday, July 6, 2021
• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCSCA, ATT SportsNet-SW
A's vs Astros odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLB odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
MLB sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonThis moneyline saw a little back-and-forth movement at TwinSpires Sportsbook, from Houston -155 to -162 to -157, where the price sits at 4:45 p.m. ET. "Good two-way action here," TwinSpires trading analyst Zachary Lucas said, noting 54 percent of tickets on the A's and 55 percent of dollars on the Astros. The total is stable at 8.5, with the Under taking 57 percent of tickets/55 percent of money.
Check out the full line movement for this gameA's vs Astros betting preview
Starting pitchers
Chris Bassitt (9-2, 3.04 ERA): Oakland's Opening Day starter has been on a roll, finishing June with a 2.70 ERA after allowing one run over his final two starts of the month. Bassitt threw seven scoreless in his last outing and punched out seven Rangers, and allowed a single run over seven frames against them in the start before that.
Framber Valdez (5-1, 2.18 ERA): From a run-prevention standpoint, Valdez was even better in June, putting up a 2.10 ERA and doing it against some strong offenses. He had two starts against the Red Sox and also had to face the White Sox and Twins. He was wildly effective in his last outing, holding Cleveland to two runs over seven innings while walking five and striking out six.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
A's: Stephen Piscotty OF (Probable), Mitch Moreland 1B (Out), Mark Canha OF (Out).
Astros: Michael Brantley OF (Questionable), Kyle Tucker OF (Probable), Alex Bregman 3B (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 8-2 in 10 meetings between the A's and Astros this season. Find more MLB betting trends for A's vs. Astros.
Moneyline pick
The teams we all expected to be battling for supremacy in the AL West are doing just that. Houston and Oakland have been the best teams in the division all season and there's no reason to expect that to change any time soon, with all three clubs behind them with glaring warts and negative run differentials.
The Astros followed up an embarrassing stretch that saw them lose five of six to the lowly Tigers and Orioles by sweeping Cleveland, winning the latter two contests by one run.
Oakland, on the other hand, has undergone a challenging stretch in which it has lost four of its last eight by one run, including a pair in extras. With Bassitt and Valdez toeing the rubber for the series opener, we expect another close one tonight.
The A's have won nine of the last 10 games started by Bassitt, who has put up a sub-3.00 ERA in back-to-back months. He has allowed two runs or fewer in five consecutive starts and in seven of his last eight. The right-hander has the best K/BB and K/9 rates of his career and is sporting a personal-best WHIP of 1.03. He's consistently good but so, too, is Valdez.
Houston's lefty started the season on the IL but has made seven starts since coming off at the end of May, allowing three runs or fewer in all of them and going seven-plus innings in five. Though he will be going up against an Oakland team that has been strong on the road and has an MLB-best 22 wins in games started by left-handed pitchers.
Even if the Astros have been the better team, the pitching matchup is a wash and the A's offer great value at +140 with Bassitt on the mound.
PREDICTION: Oakland (+140)
Over/Under pick
We just finished telling you how good both pitchers have been, but they are running into strong offenses. The Astros, particularly, have been relentless.
Houston has been the best offensive team in the majors, per FanGraphs' weighted runs created plus, and ranks first in OPS, batting average, on-base percentage, and runs scored. They have six starting players with an OBP over .350 (including injured star Alex Bregman) and five with an OPS over .850, led by shortstop Carlos Correa, who is having a monster bounce-back season.
The Astros offense has dangerous hitters from both sides of the plate and punishes both righties and lefties, ranking first in wRC+ in each split.
Oakland, meanwhile, is Top 10 in wRC+ and its offense has been powered by slugging first baseman Matt Olson, who has 20 bombs and a .923 OPS.
This is the type of matchup that will be tough for both the pitchers and the hitters, but with both teams having leaky bullpens that are mid-pack with ERAs north of 4.00 and in the bottom half of WAR, we're siding with this one getting Over the 8.5 total.
The teams are 4-0 O/U in their last four meetings and the Over has cashed in eight of the 10 games they've played this season.
PREDICTION: Over 8.5 (-115)
A's vs Astros betting card
- Oakland (+140)
- Over 8.5 (-115)
Picks made on 7/05/2021 at 7:57 p.m. ET
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