Astros vs Athletics Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (Sep.25)
- The Astros and Athletics continue their three-game set on Saturday afternoon
- Framber Valdez and Sean Manaea will battle it out on the mound
- Read on for the odds, preview, and prediction
The AL West-leading Houston Astros (91-63, 44-35 away) visit the Oakland Athletics (83-71, 41-38 home) on Saturday afternoon in the Bay Area, with first-pitch scheduled for 4:10 pm EST. It will be two lefties on the mound, with Framber Valdez starting for Houston, while Sean Manaea gets the call for Oakland.
Prior to dropping the series opener on Friday, the Astros have won four of five against the A’s.
Astros vs Athletics Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | -110 | -1.5 (+145) | Ov 8.5 (+100) |
| Oakland Athletics | -110 | +1.5 (-165) | Un 8.5 (-120) |
Odds as of September 24th at DraftKings
Probable Pitchers
Valdez has been the ace of the Astros staff this season, posting a rotation-best 3.07 ERA in 20 starts. In the process, he’s gone 11-5 while striking out 115 in 123 innings of work.
Command has been an issue for the southpaw at times though, allowing 52 walks in 2021. But, it hasn’t necessarily come back to haunt him. Last time out, Valdez was utterly dominant, tossing seven scoreless frames against the Angels while also striking out six batters.
Framber Valdez has a 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 22.0 K%, and 72.7 GB% in his last 5 starts.
Yes, a 72.7 GB%. pic.twitter.com/f0ocOxFRqT
— Michael Simione (@SPStreamer) September 23, 2021
The Dominican did get hit around during his first two outings in September however, surrendering four runs to the Angels and the Padres. Valdez’s lone start against the Athletics this year was rough, lasting just five innings and giving up five earned runs.
However, he does have a 2.72 ERA in day games this season and Oakland has been struggling with the bats.
Valdez vs Manaea
| 11-5 | Record | 10-10 |
| 3.07 | ERA | 4.05 |
| 123 | Innings Pitched | 166.2 |
| 115 | SO | 180 |
| 52 | BB | 39 |
Manaea hasn’t been great for the A’s this season, going 10-10 with a 4.05 ERA in 30 starts. His strikeout to walk ratio is impressive, but the lefty has been hit around at times.
In his most recent outing, Manaea gave up four runs to the Mariners as he took the loss. The start before that, he allowed five earned to Kansas City. Manaea always comes out and pounds the strike zone, it’s just a matter of locating his pitches and limiting the mistakes.
Sean Manaea's reaction to Matt Chapman's defense is as relatable as it gets. 😂
Watch the latest episode of Play Loud now: https://t.co/7hXp1rVxoZ.
(MLB x @BankofAmerica) pic.twitter.com/YT8ieIg78v
— MLB (@MLB) September 22, 2021
The Astros are one of the most potent offenses in baseball and they’ve hit him well this season. Manaea boasts a 4.63 ERA against Houston and has gone winless in four appearances. He also pitches slightly worse at home, compiling a 4.10 ERA compared to 3.99 on the road.
With Oakland’s Wild Card hopes slowly slipping away, they desperately need a quality start out of the southpaw here.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Athletics Hitters | Batting Average vs Valdez | Astros Hitters | Batting Average vs Manaea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elvis Andrus | .333 | Jose Altuve | .244 |
| Seth Brown | .000 | Yordan Alvarez | .100 |
| Mark Canha | .600 | Alex Bregman | .313 |
| Matt Chapman | .333 | Jason Castro | .500 |
| Khris Davis | .200 | Carlos Correa | .200 |
| Josh Harrison | .000 | Aledmys Diaz | .250 |
| Jed Lowrie | .667 | Marwin Gonzalez | .167 |
| Starling Marte | .000 | Yuli Gurriel | .282 |
| Sean Murphy | .000 | Martin Maldonado | .353 |
| Matt Olson | .200 | Chas McCormick | .000 |
| Chad Pinder | .375 | Kyle Tucker | .333 |
The Astros have yet another AL West title locked up, currently sitting nine games ahead of the Athletics. Houston has been winning lots of ballgames lately as well, going 7-3 in their last 10 after taking three of four from the Angels. The bats continue to stay hot for this team, sitting first in runs, hits, average, and OBP.
👀#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/WW7fjkmb6s
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 24, 2021
From top to bottom, they have so many weapons who can get it done and are certainly a serious contender once again come playoff time. As a lineup, they have close to 200 at-bats combined against Manaea. Needless to say, the Astros are extremely familiar with the lefty. Alex Bregman in particular is raking off the A’s starter, hitting .313 with four homers in 32 AB’s.
The A’s are playing bad baseball at the worst possible time. The American League Wild Card race is heating up immensely, with Oakland falling farther back of the final spot. They also just lost four straight to the Mariners in what was a crucial series because Seattle is also fighting for their postseason lives.
FINAL: OAK 5 | SEA 6 pic.twitter.com/EXfxD9tlsU
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) September 23, 2021
The Athletics’ offense was non-existent in the series, scoring only 10 runs combined. It also won’t get any easier, with six of their last nine against Houston along with another three-game set versus Seattle.
Astros vs Athletics Prediction
To be honest, the A’s looks absolutely deflated right now and the Astros are raking. On top of that, they swing the bats very well against Manaea. Valdez has also been solid all year for them, despite his lone start vs. Oakland turning out to be poor. Take Houston.
Pick: Houston Astros moneyline -110
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
