The Houston Astros (31-18) began a nine-game road trip this past weekend with two losses to the Mariners before bouncing back on Sunday to avoid the sweep.
Houson then opened up their three-game set against the Oakland Athletics (20-31) with a convincing 5-1 win, and are looking to keep things rolling on the road.
The A's, now losers of four of their last five, will look to turn things around behind their ace Frankie Montas. Which AL West team will prevail on Tuesday night?
Continue reading for free MLB picks and predictions for the Astros vs Athletics matchup on Tuesday, May 31st.
Astros vs Athletics odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Astros opened as -141 road favorites but have since moved a touch down to the -135 range at most shops. The total opened at 7.0 and has shifted to 6.5, with the Over being shaded with -120 juice at the majority of books.
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 5/31/2022 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2022 MLB season, here are two of the best bonuses* available:
A) New users at FanDuel can bet $5 and get $200 in free bets — regardless of if your bet wins or loses! Sign Up Now
B) New users can get two risk-free bets up to $2,000 at PointsBet! Sign Up Now
*Eligible USA locations only
Astros vs Athletics game info
• Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA
• Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2022
• First pitch: 9:40 p.m. ET
• TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, NBC Sports Southern California
Astros vs Athletics betting preview
Starting pitchers
Cristian Javier (3-2, 2.43 ERA): Javier has split his three years in the majors between the rotation and as a long-relief option out of the bullpen. No matter where he has been called upon, the results have been pretty stellar. Javier has a 3.32 career ERA and a 2.43 ERA this year, and a sterling 1.09 career WHIP and 0.97 mark in 2022. Last time out, Javier surrendered just three hits and a walk in a scoreless 5.2 inning outing against Cleveland in which he struck out nine batters.
Frankie Montas (2-4, 3.28 ERA): Montas has been largely consistent for the last five seasons, outside of one spotty 2020 campaign (5.60 ERA). His career ERA of 3.79 is a touch below ace level but he makes up for it with his flash strikeout potential, going on three years now of double-digit strikeout per nine ratios. Despite allowing two or fewer runs in five of his last seven starts, the A's have gone winless during that time, largely due to the lack of run support for the right-hander.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Astros: Kyle Tucker RF (Questionable), Jose Altuve 2B (Questionable).
Athletics: Stephen Vogt C (Out), Kevin Smith SS (Questionable).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Houston owns the best Unders record at 37-12 (75.5%) and is gone Over the total just once since May 18th. 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.
Moneyline analysis
Through the ups and downs, Frankie Montas has largely been an arm the Athletics could lean on in his now six seasons with the club. Ever since moving to the rotation in 2018, Montas has had just one season with an ERA above 4.00 (5.60 in 2020) and has put together a 3.34 ERA since the start of last season, while racking up the most starts of any pitcher in the MLB.
Speaking of consistency, Montas has also been an electrifying arm to watch. 2022 now marks the third season in a row in which the 29-year-old has managed a strikeout per nine rate of 10.0+. Montas frequently displays nasty stuff that gets batters to swing outside the zone, pitching to a 93rd percentile chase rate this season, following a 91st percentile finish last year.
His track record against Houston is also pretty respectable, given that they have been offensive powerhouses for essentially the entire duration of Montas' extended excellence. Last year, Montas pitched to a 1.82 ERA and 3-1 record in four starts against the Astros while allowing just a .222 batting average. In 2019, he allowed just three runs across 11.1 innings in his two appearances against the club.
Across from Montas tonight will be Cristian Javier, who possibly flashes even brighter at a much younger age. At just the age of 25, Javier has managed a 3.32 career ERA and 1.09 WHIP.
His career strikeout per nine rate of 10.8 is markedly higher than Montas' single-season career-best and is as high as 11.7 heading into tonight. However, unlike Montas, Javier does not have a great track record against the opposing batters he'll pitch to tonight. The sample isn't as large as Montas' (57 combined plate appearances) but Javier has surrendered a .314 batting average and .647 slugging percentage.
The most important divide going into Tuesday night is in the support these two pitchers receive elsewhere. Houston's 4.04 runs per game may not be up to previous seasons' standards as the 20th best mark in baseball currently, but Oakland's 3.41 (which is good for second-worst) is outright putrid.
That has reared its head in Montas' starts as of late, with A's logging more than three runs just once in his last seven starts — a stretch during which the A's have gone winless. Houston's support edge extends to its bullpen, where they allow a league-leading 2.48 ERA.
In fact, the gap between Houston's relief ERA and the next best mark, the Tigers' 3.05 ERA, is the same size gap between Detroit and the 12th best mark. Oakland, for comparison, has managed a 17th ranked 3.84 ERA.
Prediction: Astros moneyline (-132 at FanDuel)
Over/Under analysis
When it comes to Unders, these two teams are some of the friendliest teams in the league. Oakland is played 26-20-5 (56.5%) that way and Houston's 37-12 (75.5%) is by far the best mark in the league. In fact, Houston is gone Over the total just once since May 18th, going 11-1 to the Under during that time.
The A's have gone Over the total in three of their last four but allowed 24 runs in those three instances. It stands to reason to believe that Montas will possibly be able to keep the bases cleaner than the Athletics have managed to in their last five games (4+ runs surrendered in each).
Javier may have struggled in the past against the A's, but Houston's league-leading bullpen can take over the game whenever called upon. The total may be low and begging of a bet on the Over, but the value lies the other way.
Prediction: Under 6.5 (+105 at Caesars)
Best bet
When looking across this matchup, the edges seem to favor Houston by a decent margin. Although Javier hasn't been at his best against Oakland historically, the 25-year-old is quietly putting together an incredible season with an ERA+ of 154 through 37 innings.
The Astros may not be crossing home as frequently as they were when they were frequenting the World Series but they are noticeably better than the Athletics' second-lowest runs per game mark this year.
Bullpen-wise, the Astros simply blow the Athletics (and the rest of the league) entirely out of the water. Getting the Astros as a moderately small favorite against a club that threw in the towel weeks before the season began is also too big to ignore.
Pick: Astros moneyline (-132 at FanDuel)
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s MLB Astros vs. Athletics picks, you could win $26.03 on a $10 bet?
Use our MLB parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
