The Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics wrap up a three-game set at Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon.
The 'Stros have taken the first two games in this series to increase their lead atop the AL West while the A's are at the bottom of the division. MLB betting odds for this contest match the disparity between these two sides with Houston installed as -225 road favorites with ace Justin Verlander on the mound.
Here are our best free picks and predictions for Astros vs. Athletics on June 1.
Astros vs Athletics odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line hit the board with the Astros favored at around -210 with some books offering an early O/U of 6.5 and heavily juiced towards the Over. Early money has come in on the 'Stros shifting their line to approximately -230 while the total has settled at 7.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Astros vs Athletics predictions
Picks made on 6/1/2022 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Astros vs Athletics game info
• Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA
• Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2022
• First pitch: 3:37 p.m. ET
• TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, NBC Sports Southern California
Astros vs Athletics betting preview
Starting pitchers
Justin Verlander (6-2, 2.03 ERA): The eight-time All-Star is back to his fireballing ways after missing almost two years due to Tommy John surgery. Verlander is actually coming off his worst start of the season, surrendering 10 hits (including four dingers) and six runs versus the Mariners. Before that ugly performance, he had pitched to a sizzling 1.22 ERA with a 0.72 WHIP in his first eight starts of the year.
Cole Irvin (2-2, 3.15 ERA): The lefty has been a solid part of Oakland's rotation this season, pitching to a 1.20 WHIP with an OBA of .255 across seven starts. In his last outing, Irvin scattered six hits and allowed three runs (two earned) in 6 1-3 innings against the Rangers. The 28-year-old played in his first season with the A's last year, posting a 4.24 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP in 32 starts.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Astros: Kyle Tucker LF (Questionable).
Athletics: Kevin Smith IF (Questionable).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 23-4 in the Astros' last 27 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5. Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. Athletics
Astros vs Athletics picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Run line analysis
The Astros have gone 21-7 in their last 28 games to take back their all-too-familiar position atop the AL West standings. They scored two runs in the eighth inning yesterday to edge Oakland 3-1, handing the A's their 20th loss in their last 26 home games.
Houston is a modest 14th in the majors with a .705 OPS but has a star-studded lineup, and its expected batting average of .264 and hard-hit percentage of 40.7% (seventh-best in the majors) indicates that positive regression is on the horizon.
Meanwhile, the A's are dead-last in the majors with an OPS of .608 with that number dropping to .597 in May. They're also last in the majors in sweet spot percentage and 26th in hard-hit percentage, so they're likely just as bad as their surface stats indicate.
Oakland will send Cole Irvin to the mound and while he's been solid this season, his expected slugging percentage of .539 suggests he could be due for a poor outing. It doesn't help that Irvin struggled against Houston last year, posting a 7.40 ERA without a single quality start in four games.
Irvin is certainly nowhere near the level of Houston's Verlander, who is coming off a rough outing against the Mariners, but is still one of the best in the business. Verlander is second on the AL Cy Young odds board and despite his ugly performance last Friday, he still has a dominant 0.83 WHIP with a .188 OBA across nine starts this year.
With Houston seemingly boasting the edge in almost every area of this matchup, we're taking it on the run line.
Prediction: Astros -1.5 (-125 at bet365)
Over/Under analysis
The total for this game is sitting at a low 7.0, but given the offensive struggles of both teams, we're still leaning towards the Under. While the Astros should be a much more productive offensive team based on the quality of their sluggers, they've still plated just 2.62 runs per game over the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, the Athletics are averaging a pathetic 2.69 runs per game at home this season and face off against an elite starter in Verlander who has a history of dominating them.
In 14 career starts at Oakland Coliseum, Verlander has pitched to a 2.64 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and an OBA of .194. Houston also has a fantastic bullpen behind him with its relievers boasting a MLB best ERA of 2.40.
Prediction: Under 7 (-102 at FanDuel)
Best bet
The Astros have the far better lineup from top-to-bottom, and also have a Cy Young caliber pitcher on the hill. Meanwhile the A's respond with a middling starter due for regression.
The 'Stros have also looked like one of the top teams in the majors over the last month while the A's have been one of the worst.
Add in the A's struggles at home this season, and the fact that the Astros will get to bat in the ninth inning, and this matchup looks like a no-brainer. Don't overthink this one and take the superior side on the run line.
Pick: Astros -1.5 (-125 at bet365)
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