MLB is once again packed full with games on a Monday with the Oakland Athletics looking to make up ground on division-leading Houston Astros and both the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins attempting to get back on track in their series opener.
Oakland Athletics (+155) vs Houston Astros (-190)
The Athletics may look very outmanned in this one, but they also have their ace pitching. Paul Blackburn has been lights out and has a record of 5-0 with a 1.70 earned run average (ERA) and 0.99 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched). On the other side for the Astros, Framber Valdez may not be the top option for them, but he has still put together a very solid season thus far.
Both teams come into this series having won their previous game, but the difference in this one could be how bad Oakland has been at home. They have a record of 7-17 at home, while the Astros have a 16-12 record on the road. It’s a battle of first and fifth place in the AL West division, but Blackburn could give Athletics a fighting chance since the Astros bats haven’t been hot by any means. Take the Athletics for the good value and the under (U7, +100).
Colorado Rockies (+130) vs Miami Marlins (-155)
The Rockies have the most runs allowed per game and have Ryan Fetner on the mound today having pitched just 10 innings on the season. His ERA and WHIP don’t bring confidence that the team will get a good amount of innings from him or the runs be kept to a minimum, but the bats generally make up for that.
The Marlins rely on their strong pitching to get them wins and will continue to do so with Pablo Lopez starting. He has very good numbers and keeps the opponents who reach base to a minimum. The Marlins are the favourites due to the pitching matchup alone, but the Rockies have the better record and are at home. But since the starters make a big impact, we’ll have to go with the Marlins in this game and the under (U10.5, -110) because it is set so high.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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