The Houston Astros will look to make it two in a row against the San Francisco Giants after taking Friday's series opener 9-6 in a game where Jose Altuve's sixth-inning grand slam proved to be the difference.
Houston will go for its ninth win in 11 games when it sends Zack Greinke to the mound in a matchup with lefty Alex Wood.
Will San Francisco, which opened as a slight +105 home favorite, find a way to even up this series? Find out with our free MLB betting picks and predictions for Astros vs. Giants on July 31.
Astros vs Giants game info
• Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
• Date: Saturday, July 31, 2021
• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCS BA, ATT SportsNet-SW
Astros vs Giants odds
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Astros vs Giants betting preview
Starting pitchers
Zack Greinke (10-3, 3.48 ERA): Greinke hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a single start since June 10, and he’ll now look to go on the road and come up with another good performance against the Giants. The righty has been dominant away from home this year, as he is 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA when pitching away from Minute Maid Park. He’s also 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA in four July starts.
Alex Wood (9-3, 3.65 ERA): Wood has given up two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five starts, and he has also racked up eight or more strikeouts in three of his last five outings. The lefty has really been in a nice groove for the Giants, who have one of the best rotations in baseball this year — despite not having any legitimate star power amongst the group. Wood Is also 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA in day starts this year, so the early start time should appeal to him.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Astros: Alex Bregman 3B (Out), Pedro Baez RP (Out), Josh James RP (Out).
Giants: Kris Bryant OF (Questionable), Brandon Belt 1B (Out), Evan Longoria 3B (Out), Tommy La Stella 2B (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Giants are 9-3 in their last 12 interleague home games. Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. Giants.
Moneyline pick
Greinke has been on a tear for the Astros recently, but the Giants should be confident in their ability to get some runs across home plate today.
For starters, Mike Yastrzemski is 4-for-6 with a double and a triple in his limited at-bats against the right-handed veteran, and he can really spark this offense if he’s able to get it going. Also, Buster Posey is 13-for-50 with a double and two RBIs against Greinke. On top of that, Brandon Crawford has three doubles, a homer, and three RBIs against the righty, and he excels against righties anyway.
Wood doesn’t have a whole lot of experience against this Astros lineup, but Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, and Yuli Gurriel are a combined 2-for-9 with nothing but singles against the lefty. Wood also happens to be rolling as of late, and his interesting mechanics will make it tough for Houston to figure him out early.
Overall, the Giants offer great value on the moneyline in this game as one of the best teams in baseball.
PREDICTION: San Francisco (+100)
Over/Under pick
With the way these pitchers have been going lately, it’s hard to suggest taking the Over in this game — especially when the total isn’t set at 7.5 or 8.0.
Sure, these teams combined to score 15 runs on Friday, but these are two different starters and they’re both performing at a high level right now.
Kevin Gausman has obviously been a stud for San Francisco this season, but he was struggling before last night’s start and was unable to find his best stuff. That shouldn’t be the case for Wood, and it likely won’t be the case for Greinke.
The Astros starter has been lights out on the road, making this more likely to be a low-scoring game if the Giants are going to win.
PREDICTION: Under 8.5 (-118)
Astros vs Giants betting card
- San Francisco (+100)
- Under 8.5 (-118)
Picks made on 7/31/2021 at 8:35 a.m. ET
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