It took a thrilling comeback that manifested with just one out remaining, but the Houston Astros managed to steal a win against the San Francisco Giants last night in extra innings. Tonight, the series continues at Oracle Park at 9:40 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive in with a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s Astros vs. Giants game courtesy of odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Giants prediction, preview
The Astros shook off a couple of ugly losses with the win last night, moving to 61-59 on the campaign and 14-8 since the All-Star break. Meanwhile, the Giants remain near the bottom of the standings with a 49-70 record and an 8-14 mark since the break themselve.
RHP Hunter Brown (3-1) starts for the Astros in this one. He carries a 3.53 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP into this game with 63 strikeouts, looking much more like himself in recent starts. His K% of 25.6% looks good, and while a 13.0% BB% is high, it’s begun to even out some lately. Houston’s bullpen ranks 13th in ERA at 3.97 with a 1.27 WHIP and a 13.8% K-BB%, creeping further up the leaderboard over the last two months after taking significant strides.
LHP Carson Whisenhunt (2-3) takes the mound for San Francisco with five games under his belt this year. He’s thrown just 22.1 innings but has a 7.25 ERA, a 1.84 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in total. The sample size remains small, but despite excellent chase and whiff rates, there’s much improvement to be made. The Giants’ relief staff sits 22nd in ERA at 4.37 with a 1.43 WHIP and a low 8.4% K-BB%.
The Astros would typically have the edge at the plate in this game, but there’s a slight concern regarding the splits. They slash just .234/.311/.395 with a .706 OPS against southpaws, which could limit some of the upside here. Still, they’re sixth in club OPS at .735 and are one of the best power-hitting teams in the MLB – the .170 ISO and 162 homers are both good for third in the league. The Giants are solid enough with a .714 OPS that falls 18th in the MLB, also ranking 13th in ISO (.160) and 19th in homers (133). Against right-handers, the slash line reads .251/.310/.422 with a .731 OPS.
Astros vs. Giants pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Astros as a -180 Moneyline favorite on the road this evening, while the Giants enter as +167 underdogs to win at home. The run total is set at eight here.
Over the last few starts, Hunter Brown has begun to get his arm back to his typical high standard. He’s allowed just five earned runs over his last three starts combined, going 7.0, 5.2 and 6.0 innings across those with seven, five and eight strikeouts. He also conceded just 11 hits and four walks over those 18.2 IP, a sign that his production may be normalizing. He’s far and away better than the opposing starter, and while Whisenhunt is a lefty with an advantage against Houston’s lefty splits, he’s still conceded four or more earned runs in each of his last three starts and his WHIP is much higher than you’d like to see.
It may be close, but as long as Brown performs and the Astros’ offense doesn’t dry up, this is a good chance to take the visitors at -1.5. They’re a better team with a stud on the mound, so sometimes it’s best to play it simple.
