The Baltimore Orioles take on the Houston Astros. Check out our MLB odds series for our Orioles Astros prediction and pick.
Kyle Bradish takes the bump for the Orioles, while Lance McCullers makes his third start of the year for the Astros.
Kyle Bradish has a 6.25 ERA, but he is improving. Bradish pitched to an 8.46 ERA in the month of May, then 7.50 in June. His ERA on June 18 was 7.38. He then missed six weeks with an injury. When he came back on July 29, he performed at a much higher standard. He hasn’t performed at an elite level, but certainly several notches better than the 7.38 ERA pitcher he had been two months ago.
In his five starts since returning from injury, Bradish has pitched 25 2/3 innings and allowed 12 runs. That’s not special, but it’s a lot better than before. Bradish is basically a five-inning, three-run pitcher at this point. It’s not great, but it’s enough to keep the Orioles in games. Because Baltimore has scored six or more runs in four of those five recent starts, the O’s are 4-1 in those games. Bradish is not dominating. He is giving his team a chance to win, however.
Lance McCullers returned to the Houston rotation and made his season debut on Aug. 13 after a long injury absence. The Astros were World Series contenders before McCullers came back, but now their position is enhanced by the presence of a reliable veteran starter who knows how to get outs in October. McCullers pitched six scoreless innings against the A’s in his Aug. 13 return to the mound. On Aug. 19, he gave up three runs in five innings against the Braves in Atlanta. McCullers and the Astros shouldn’t be too worried about any individual starting right now. The Astros have their division salted away. They will be a top-two seed in the playoffs, probably the top seed. The main thing for McCullers is to regain a rhythm and build his fitness base for the postseason.
Courtesy of FanDuelhere are the Orioles-Astros MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Orioles-Astros Odds
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-114)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (-105)
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
Why The Orioles Could Cover the Spread
The Orioles were down to their last strike on Thursday against the White Sox when Kyle Stowers hit his first career big-league home run to tie the score in the bottom of the ninth. Baltimore won in 11 innings and kept pace with the leaders in the American League wild card race. The Orioles have struggled at the plate over the past week, but they found a way to win the series against the White Sox, which should give them a significant confidence boost heading into Houston. Lance McCullers is a terrific pitcher, but at this stage of his recovery from injury, he might not be fully sharp. If the Orioles can get some big hits — the kinds of hits they have generally been lacking in recent weeks — they can ambush McCullers and grab a win over a Houston team which is not in a must-win position.
Why The Astros Could Cover the Spread
After sweeping the Minnesota Twins, the Astros have affirmed their place as the best team in the American League. Given that they are 4-0 against the New York Mets and have a winning record against the New York Yankees, one can reasonably say they’re one of the two best teams in baseball along with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lance McCullers can contain the Orioles, who have not hit very well over the past week. Houston’s offense has been decent, but not spectacular. The Astros could feast on Kyle Bradish of the Orioles and get a big early lead in this game.
Final Orioles-Astros Prediction & Pick
The Orioles just played a draining series against the White Sox and had to fly into Houston on Friday. Lance McCullers might be hard to predict, but the Orioles might not be physically or mentally fresh for this contest. Take the Astros.
Final Orioles-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5
