American League Showdown: Orioles vs Astros Preview
Baltimore Draws First Blood Behind 3-Run Shot by Mullins in Game One.
The Baltimore Orioles (94-56) and the Houston Astros (84-67) continue an important three-game series tonight after the O’s stole game one after Cedric Mullins deposited a three-run shot in the left field stands on down and in slider from Ryan Pressly, giving the Orioles (+164) an 8-7 win.
Baltimore will send Kyle Gibson (14-9, 4.98) to the hill against Hunter Brown (11-11, 4.61) for the ‘Stros. Houston is a -142 home favorite with a total of 9 (under -115). First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 pm ET / 5:10 pm PT and can be seen on MASN and ATTSW. Let’s dive into our Orioles vs Astros preview with a look at both teams from a gambling perspective.
Orioles Closing On AL East Title
After last night’s dramatic comeback, Baltimore is one step closer to clinging to their first American League East title since 2014 and their first playoff berth since 2016. Current MLB standings show the Orioles up by 2.5 games with just 12 games left, making their magic number nine.
If you’re looking for teams to put a future wager on, perhaps consider the O’s. After losing the first two games of their past weekend series against the Rays, their fifth loss in six games, they could have easily wilted against one of the best closers in the league on the road.
Instead, they showed bettors that the Orioles are a serious contender for a World Series title. Kyle Gibson’s numbers over his last seven starts are less than stellar. In 42.1 innings, the righty has allowed 30 earned runs (6.38 era). Despite the numbers, there are reasons to believe that stretch is behind him after allowing just one earned run in 6.2 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in his last start.
Baltimore is by far the most profitable team in Major League Baseball with 27.56 units won. Let’s see if we’re going to go back with Baltimore tonight, but before that let’s continue our Orioles vs Astros preview with a deeper look at Houston.
Does Anyone Want To Win The West?
The Houston Astros are still 1.5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners in the AL West, but each team seems to be taking turns winning while the other two contenders slide. The Astros and Mariners are a combined 7-13 over their last 20 games, while the Texas Rangers have won 6 of 10 to stay within striking distance.
The concern for bettors is, are Texas and Seattle battle-tested with the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels in the division. Like Gibson, Hunter Brown has been just okay outside of his last outing against the Oakland Athletics when he didn’t give up a hit in five innings of work. In his last five starts overall, Brown has allowed 17 earned runs in his last 21 innings (7.29 era).
The righty has not put two quality starts together since August 10th, making it difficult to anticipate a good effort tonight. Both of these teams will be looking at baseball scores around the league, but both have their destiny in their hands heading into game two. Let’s conclude our Orioles vs Astros preview with our official MLB prediction.
Orioles To Cash Another Plus Money Ticket
When you have a team that has handed the betting public money all season long, there is very little reason to try to be smarter than what the numbers say. Not only have the Orioles been the most profitable team in 2023, but they are also an incredible 42-32 (+18.53 units) as an underdog, also the best in the majors.
As a road dog, the O’s are 29-20 (+1695 units) garnering them another top ranking. Nothing in those numbers indicates that we should stop flying with the Orioles tonight. Especially considering their recent performance in the Orioles vs Astros series, this seems like a smart bet to make. Take Baltimore +139. That does it for our Orioles vs. Astros preview, we wish you all the best with your Tuesday wagers.
For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
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