We finally hit a trifecta for the week. All three of our bets on the San Francisco/Atlanta game went into the win column, and we absolutely needed it. Our record for the week now stands at 8-7 but we’re still sitting on a deficit of $-9.65. Suddenly there’s hope that we can completely turn the week around, starting with Seattle (67-55) and Houston (70-53) tonight.
The Pitchers
Houston is going to turn to Framber Valdez (9-8, 3.31 ERA) to try and even the series against the Mariners. He’s won twice over his last five games and has allowed an average of 3.8 earned runs over that stretch. In his last three starts he’s gone at least seven innings, including a 9-inning shutout performance, against Cleveland, on August 1st.
Typically, Logan Gilbert (10-5, 3.80 ERA) would make this a fantastic pitching matchup but in his last outing (August 14 against Kansas City), he only lasted 4.1 innings and allowed four earned runs. That’s going to cast some doubt on how well he’ll hold up against the Astros. Over the last five games, he’s picked up two wins and allowed an average of 2.8 runs per game during that stretch.
The Lineups
Seattle’s offense is led by Cal Raleigh (20 home runs) Julio Rodriguez (.274 ERA and 79 RBI)P. The Mariners have scored 30 runs over the last five games.
Kyle Tucker is dominating Houston’s lineup. He leads the team in home runs (24), batting average (.297) and RBI (92). The Astros have scored 20 runs over the last five games.
The Streaks
Seattle has won four games in a row, including last night’s series opener against Houston by a final of 2-0. The Astros have lost three of their last five games.
The Odds
Astros -1.5
Astros -155 on the moneyline
O/U 8
I’m a bit nervous about this one. We’re already having a losing week, and I’m about to pick a road underdog to win. The Mariners are streaking right now, so I really like them at +1.5. I’m going to go ahead and take them on the moneyline as well. However, to me, the best bet here is the over.
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