The Arizona Diamondbacks signed former World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner to a big free-agent deal this offseason, but the southpaw is still looking for his first win. Bumgarner and the Snakes are short underdogs on the MLB odds Tuesday vs. visiting Houston.
Astros vs. Diamondbacks – MLB Odds & Picks
How to Bet Astros at Diamondbacks MLB Odds & TV Info- When: Tuesday, 9:10 PM ET
- Where: Chase Field
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Cristian Javier/Madison Bumgarner
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Stream/gameday audio: ESPN+, https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
- Opening MLB Lines: Astros -110, Diamondbacks +100 (total 9.5)
The Astros won two of three over the weekend at the Angels, taking Sunday’s finale 6-5 in 11 innings. Alex Bregman went 2-for-6 with a home run and drove in the game-winning run. Bregman smacked a solo homer off of Keynan Middleton to lead off the seventh inning, trimming the Astros’ deficit to 4-3. He then led off the 11th inning with an RBI single, plating the game-winning run. With his two-hit evening, Bregman is now slashing .211/.333/.421 with two homers and seven RBI on the season.
Michael Brantley went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Sunday’s victory. Brantley also drew a walk in the ballgame, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He walked and came around to score the game’s first run in the opening inning. He’s red hot, slashing .438/.514/.656 with a homer, eight runs scored, six RBI and a stolen base.
Houston is without closer Roberto Osuna. He has been placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow soreness. Osuna had to be lifted from a save chance Saturday with the injury. Ryan Pressly likely will get the closing duties.
Astros manager Dusty Baker has said that Cristian Javier will “probably” start Tuesday vs. Arizona. Javier earned another rotation turn after striking out eight Dodgers hitters while yielding only one run over 5 2/3 innings in his first career major league start last Wednesday.
“I felt good,” Javier said after throwing 82 pitches (54 strikes) against a deep lineup. “I felt good and I really was focused on locating my pitches so I really didn’t have time to think about nerves or anything like that.”
The 23-year-old ranks sixth among Houston prospects on MLB Pipeline, and his career Minor League numbers (2.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) are outstanding. He is one of seven Astros players to make their debuts already this year, which is largely the result of injuries. Last year, the Astros named Javier their Minor League Pitcher of the Year after he led all of the Minors with a 1.74 ERA, 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a .130 opponents’ batting average (minimum 110 innings).
Why Bet on Arizona?The abbreviated 60-game campaign is off to a sluggish start, with Arizona (3-7) sitting 28th in MLB in team batting average, dead last in home runs, fifth-worst in team ERA and fifth-worst in WHIP.
The Diamondbacks come off a 3-0 home loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. L.A. pitcher Clayton Kershaw didn’t allow a baserunner until Starling Marte and Christian Walker hit back-to-back singles in the fourth inning. Kershaw retired the next two hitters, fanning Kole Calhoun to end the threat.
Nobody could get going against the Dodgers pitching staff. Even the consistently reliable Ketel Marte failed to reach base, going 0-of-4 with two strikeouts. This ends his 12-game streak of reaching base safely that dates back to last season.
The Diamondbacks came into the game hitting just .199 through nine games and couldn’t muster much offense once again, finishing with four singles. The Diamondbacks have just two homers through 10 games which is the lowest total in the majors. They’ve also given up 18 homers, the most in baseball.
“We’re extremely frustrated right now,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.
Arizona is facing Houston for the first time since 2018. The D-backs went 3-6 (2-1 @ Chase Field).
It’s lefty Madison Bumgarner (0-1, 4.09) on the bump. He did not factor in the decision in his last start on July 29 at the Rangers (2 ER in 5.1 IP). Bumgarner’s velocity was down again in this one, as he sat in the upper-80s just as he did in his first start. The results weren’t bad, as he fanned five batters while yielding four hits, one walk and one hit by pitch
Bumgarner will be making his first start vs. Astros since Aug. 7, 2018. He is 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA (10 ER in 43.2 IP) and a 0.98 WHIP in 6 career starts against them. He has gone 4-0 with a 0.97 ERA (4 ER in 37.0 IP) in 5 starts after his first outing against Houston on Aug. 20, 2011 @ Astros.
Game Trends- The Astros and Diamondbacks have split the past 10 meetings
- The over/under is 4-6 in the past 10.
