One team can only have so many All-Stars, especially among pitchers. However, Houston’s Lance McCullers Jr. certainly had an argument to go but didn’t get the call. He takes the mound for the final time in the first half of the season as a big betting favorite at the MLB lines for Wednesday night vs. Oakland.
The Astros have converted 10 straight 9th-inning save opportunities dating back to May 31. It’s been a combination of RHP Héctor Rondón (7 saves) and RHP Ken Giles (3) in the 9th for the Astros since that date, with the two combining to toss 10.2 scoreless innings in those opportunities.
Houston starts Lance McCullers Jr. (10-3, 3.41). McCullers picked up the win in Friday’s 11-4 rout of the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits over seven innings while striking out a career-high 12. The right-hander generated a massive 24 swinging strikes among his 93 pitches and didn’t give up a hit until the sixth inning in the dominant performance. McCullers hasn’t lost a start since late May.
McCullers is 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA in seven starts since May 31, pushing his career-high single-season wins total 10. He’s pitched at least six innings in all seven of those starts. McCullers is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in 3 starts vs. the A’s this year.
Oakland at Houston MLB Lines & July’s 11 Game Info
RECAP: Didn’t end the way we wanted. But we’ve won 17 of our last 22, and like we’ve shown all season, we’ll fight until the end.https://t.co/DoUjv3e1vO pic.twitter.com/sGZN1kWzIK
— Oakland Athletics 🌳🐘⚾ (@Athletics) 11 de julio de 2018
- When: Wednesday, 8:10 PM ET
- Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston
- Probable pitchers: Chris Bassitt/Lance McCullers Jr.
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: TuneIn
- MLB Lines: Houston Astros -230 / Oakland A’s +212 (Total 8)
Nationals at Pirates MLB Odds & Expert Betting Pick – July 11th
Why Bet on Oakland?
You may not have been paying attention, but Oakland has been one of the best teams in baseball the past few weeks. They have won 17 of 21 after shutting out the Astros 2-0 on Monday, and they are only six games back for the second wild card. The A’s are 6-0-1 over the previous seven series and the seven series unbeaten streak is the longest by an A’s team since a nine-series streak from May 17-June 13, 2013. Monday’s shutout was Oakland’s seventh of the year, which is fifth most in the American League and one more than the season total from last year. On Monday, Lou Trivino tossed two hitless innings and Blake Treinen recorded his 23rd save, striking out Evan Gattis with two on for the final out. The A’s are 35-0 when leading after seven innings (Trivino and Treinen are a combined 12-2). The A’s lead the majors with 66 runs in the eighth inning (Houston is second with 64), are tied for second with 44 runs in the ninth inning and rank fourth with 162 runs in the seventh inning or later. Stephen Piscotty went 3-for-4 with a homer and a pair of RBI in the win over the Astros. Piscotty drove in the only runs of the game with a homer off Brad Peacock in the seventh and a single in the eighth. He has three homers in his last three games, which is as many as he totaled in his first 58 games this season. The A’s are fourth in the majors in homers this year. On Tuesday, second baseman Jed Lowrie was named to the American League All-Star team. He’ll replace Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres, who is on the disabled list with a hip strain. It’s a deserved nod for Lowrie, who has batted .288/.358/.504 with 16 home runs, 62 RBI, and 40 runs scored in 89 games this season for a surprising Oakland team. Oakland starts Chris Bassitt (1-3, 3.00). Bassitt allowed two earned runs, seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision last Tuesday against San Diego. Bassitt threw 58 of his 88 pitches for strikes, but he did not stick around long enough to qualify for the victory. Bassitt is 0-0 with a 1.64 ERA (11.0 ip, 5 h, 4 r, 2 er, 5 bb, 13 so, 1 hr) in two career appearances, including one start, against Houston, both in 2015 in Oakland. Bassitt has received two runs of support or fewer in 24 of his 28 career starts and his career RSA as a starter is 2.26.Blue Jays vs Braves MLB Betting Pick & Game Preview
Why Bet on Houston?
With their 2-0 loss Monday, the Astros had their six-game winning streak snapped, their six-game home winning streak snapped and their eight-game winning streak against the A’s snapped. On Tuesday, the Astros recalled OF Jake Marisnick from Triple-A Fresno. Marisnick will join the team with Gerrit Cole on the bereavement list. The 27-year-old outfielder is batting just 190/.235/.359 with seven homers and 19 RBI in 68 games with the Astros this season. Astros manager A.J. Hinch said that it’s looking “more and more unlikely” that Carlos Correa (back) returns before the All-Star break. Correa resumed baseball activities Monday by taking some infield, but he has yet to be cleared to swing a bat again. He’s been sidelined for the last two weeks with a back injury and the Astros understandably want to proceed cautiously with their star shortstop.
The Astros have converted 10 straight 9th-inning save opportunities dating back to May 31. It’s been a combination of RHP Héctor Rondón (7 saves) and RHP Ken Giles (3) in the 9th for the Astros since that date, with the two combining to toss 10.2 scoreless innings in those opportunities.
Houston starts Lance McCullers Jr. (10-3, 3.41). McCullers picked up the win in Friday’s 11-4 rout of the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits over seven innings while striking out a career-high 12. The right-hander generated a massive 24 swinging strikes among his 93 pitches and didn’t give up a hit until the sixth inning in the dominant performance. McCullers hasn’t lost a start since late May.
McCullers is 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA in seven starts since May 31, pushing his career-high single-season wins total 10. He’s pitched at least six innings in all seven of those starts. McCullers is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in 3 starts vs. the A’s this year.
Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Athletics are 1-5 in Bassitt’s last 6 starts vs. American League West
- Athletics are 1-5 in Bassitt’s last 6 starts vs. a team with a winning record
- Astros are 5-0 in McCullers Jr.’s last 5 home starts
- Astros are 7-0 in McCullers Jr.’s last 7 starts
- Oakland is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
- Oakland is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oakland’s last 5 games when playing Houston
- Houston is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games
- Houston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston’s last 9 games
