Astros vs Athletics Prediction - MLB Picks 7/23/23

Oakland Athletics (28-73) vs Houston Astros (55-44)

Game Info: Sunday, July 23, 2023 at 4:07 pm (Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum)

Luis Medina (3-7) (5.79) vs Hunter Brown (6-7) (4.26)

Betting Odds: Oakland Athletics +185 / Houston Astros -244 --- Over/Under: 7.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Oakland Athletics will host the Houston Astros for their divisional series finale this Sunday from the Oakland Coliseum. Oakland finally found a way to take Houston down and won by three, 4-1.

Astros Betting Preview

Houston enters at 55-44 after falling to Oakland. The Astros were upended by the Athletics last night, and they’ll be out for revenge Sunday. The Houston offense is scoring 4.66 runs per game, while batting .246, with a .314 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 3.32 ERA, with a 1.25 WHIP. Kyle Tucker doubled in game three to extend his hit streak to eight games, and he leads the Astros in hits (107), with splits of .303/17/68. Alex Bregman has gone yard in all three games in Oakland, and he’s posting splits of .252/16/63. Chas McCormick has recorded a hit in eight of the last nine games, and he’s batting .286, with 35 RBI.

Hunter Brown (6-4, 3.62 ERA, 118 Ks) will get the ball for Houston. The second-year righty had a tough time at Coors last week, allowing four runs in 5.1 innings en route to an Astros loss. Brown has now dropped three straight starts, but he comes into an ideal spot to bounce back against a lackluster Oakland lineup. Brown has been relatively reliable from a strikeout standpoint, as he’s cleared seven in four of his last five appearances. Brown also happened to have two of his finer outings back in May against the A’s, fanning nine in six innings at home, before setting a season-high and striking out ten in the Bay seven days later.

Athletics Betting Preview

Oakland moved to 28-73 after defeating Houston. The A’s snapped a nine-game skid to the ‘Stros on Saturday, and they’ll attempt to steal another one here in game three. The Oakland offense is scoring 2.81 runs per game, while batting .222, with a .303 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 6.00 ERA, with a 1.62 WHIP. How the Athletics managed to defeat the Astros without Brent Rooker, Ryan Noda, and Esteury Ruiz is mind-boggling, but those three are indeed set to miss the series finale. Seth Brown homered in the game three win, and he’s up to ten home runs and 29 RBI for the season.

Luis Medina (3-7, 5.79 ERA, 64 Ks) will get the ball for Oakland. The rookie righty returned to action with his best start of the season against Boston, striking out six over 5.2 scoreless innings to earn his third victory. That’s a great sign for the Athletics moving forward, as Medina had shown signs of improvement throughout the first portion of the year. Medina will now look to avenge a tough outing versus Houston here, that saw him allow five runs in 5.1 innings at the Coliseum back in May.

Houston vs Oakland Trends

Houston is 51-48 against the spread this season, with a 48-49-2 O/U record. Oakland is 48-53 ATS this year, with a 51-43-7 over/under record.

Corey’s Free Pick

Oakland was bound to defeat Houston at some point, and there should be some revenge in play Sunday. If the Astros get support alongside Kyle Tucker and Alex Bergman in the lineup, they should have little trouble getting back into the win column. Hunter Brown rapport against the A’s is also encouraging, and this feels like the Astros contest to win. Back Houston to take the series finale.