The two best teams in the AL West will play the rubber match of their three-game set when the Oakland Athletics host the Houston Astros at RingCentral Coliseum on Thursday afternoon.
The series finale kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET, featuring a pitching matchup of Luis Garcia and Oakland lefty Cole Irvin.
Check out our best free MLB betting picks and predictions for Astros vs. Athletics on May 20.
Astros vs A's game info
• Location: RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland, CA
• Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021
• Time: 3:37 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCS-CA, ATTSN-SW
Astros vs A's odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLB odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
MLB Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonHouston went up as -127 chalk at TwinSpires Sportsbook and is down a few cents to -122 as of 12:45 p.m. ET. The Astros are drawing 65 percent of moneyline tickets and 58 percent of moneyline dollars. The total opened at 8.5, briefly went to 9 and is now 8.5 (Over -112), with the Over taking 53 percent of tickets/57 percent of money.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAstros vs A's betting preview
Starting pitchers
Luis Garcia (1-3, 3.34 ERA): Garcia hasn’t given his team six innings in a start yet, but he has done some great things in short outings. In three of Garcia’s last four starts, the righty has allowed three earned runs or fewer and given the Astros just about five innings in all of them. He likely won’t work too deep into this game, but Houston won’t care as long as he is racking up Ks and keeping Oakland off the board.
Cole Irvin (3-4, 3.02 ERA): Since back-to-back starts in which Irvin gave up four earned runs to start the season, the lefty has given up only eight earned runs in 38 innings of work. He has been absolutely phenomenal for this Oakland team and is capable of winning a lot of different types of games. Irvin has had a few games where he has had his stuff going and ended up striking out a bunch of batters, but he's also effective when pitching to contact. He’s been a real bright spot for the A’s this year.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Astros: Pedro Baez RP (Out).
A's: Mitch Moreland 1B (Out), Trevor Rosenthal RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Athletics are 10-2 in their last 12 home games against right-handed starters. Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. A's.
Moneyline pick
The Athletics didn’t show up on offense against Zack Greinke and the Astros on Wednesday — getting held to one run on four hits over eight innings against Houston's ace before Kent Emanuel slammed the door in the ninth — but the team should be able to bounce back and get in the win column today.
Oakland doesn’t have a whole lot of experience facing Garcia, but the righty is definitely beatable. The Athletics can easily put up three or four runs in the first four or five innings and chase him out of this game, as he has proven to get himself into some trouble and has been susceptible to the long ball, allowing 1.54 homers per nine innings. If he gives Oakland opportunities, the team will cash in. The Athletics also happen to have some bats that can take advantage of righties, with Matt Olson standing out as somebody to keep an eye on here. He has a team-leading 10 homers and .870 OPS and has shown strong power numbers versus right-handers throughout his career.
Oakland also happens to have the edge on the mound in this game. Both pitchers are definitely a bit unproven at this point in their careers, but Irvin has the more impressive body of work thus far. The Astros got to him earlier in the season, but he has settled in since then and should be looking forward to another crack at Houston.
PREDICTION: Oakland (+102)
Over/Under pick
These two teams have been delivering for Over bettors in their recent head-to-head encounters, but it’s hard to imagine this one getting too out of hand.
The Athletics have the types of bats that can give Garcia trouble, but that doesn’t mean he’ll get shelled. The Astros starter hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start this season and has surrendered two or fewer in six of his eight outings, while punching out more than a batter per inning in the process (10.3 K/9).
Expect the Over trends to end in this one. Houston is 5-0 O/U in its last five, while Oakland has gone Over in four consecutive. The Over has cashed in seven of the nine games these teams have played this season, but we're confident the pitchers will do their part to deliver a lower-scoring game.
PREDICTION: Under 8.5 (-104)
Astros vs A's betting card
- Oakland (+102)
- Under 8.5 (-104)
Picks made on 5/20/2021 at 10:30 a.m. ET
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