The Oakland Athletics (14-26) finally found a way to win a close game, and it’s even better that it came at the hands of their division rival.
The A’s eked out a 2-1 win on Monday over the division leading Houston Astros (25-14). The loss on Monday snapped Houston’s five-game winning streak, but Houston remains atop the AL West standings. Oakland, meanwhile, trails Houston by 11½ games and still lingers at the bottom of the division.
Could this narrow victory be the start of Oakland’s own win streak? Or can Houston regroup and continue their play as one of the best teams in the Majors? Read on below for our preview of their next game.
And while you’re at it, check out our coverage of another AL West contender in the Los Angeles Angels as they take on the Toronto Blue Jays here.
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Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros Preview
Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston
When: Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Line: Oakland Athletics (-128) vs. Houston Astros (+118); total: 8.0– view all MLB lines
Betting on the Oakland Athletics
Desperate for a win in a close game, Manager Bob Melvin and his Oakland Athletics finally pulled through in the clutch. Including Monday’s win over the Astros, the A’s are 2-13 this season in games decided by one run.
[sc:MLB240banner ]“We need a few of them,” said Melvin after Monday’s game. “It’s not going to exorcise all the demons but it certainly gives a night where we can sleep better.”
Oakland stands a better chance of recording a convincing win as their best starting pitcher Sonny Gray will start on Tuesday. Gray leads all starters in the American League with an ERA of 1.61. Furthermore, Gray’s numbers are even more exceptional against the AL West. He is still undefeated in the six games he started this season against division rivals, with an ERA of 1.05.
In terms of the offense, Marcus Semien is slowly becoming a focal point in Oakland’s run production. For the past six games, Semien is 10-of-24 with three runs scored. He does, however, still need to work on limiting his strikeouts (he has seven in six games), and also his glove-work on defense (15 errors – worst in the majors).
Betting on the Houston Astros
What the Houston Astros can take away from Monday’s close battle is that they just lost by a small margin. In close games such as that, getting good hits and runners on base is a better option than swinging for the fences. But the Astros are doing the exact opposite this season.
Houston remains the best team in all of baseball this season in home runs (57). On the flipside, they are the worst at getting base hits. For Tuesday’s game though, those deep balls for instant runs may work in favor of the Astros as to get an early jump on Sonny Gray and the Oakland A’s.
Houston’s star player Jose Altuve saw his 29-game hitting streak against Oakland come to an end on Monday. Look for him to start a new streak on Tuesday, as Altuve is 4-for-11 in his career against Sonny Gray. Another welcome addition to Houston’s offense is rookie Preston Tucker. Tucker is 7-of-15 in the past three games, and four of those seven hits were doubles.
Those two will need to help jumpstart Houston’s offense, because starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez (1-3, 4.12 ERA) is liable to give up some runs. Hernandez is a workhorse, going six innings or deeper in his last six starts. But he’s also given up at least three earned runs in five of those six starts.
Writer’s Prediction
Sonny Gray keeps the Houston offense in check. Oakland wins 3-2.
