Astros vs. Athletics: Picks, predictions, how to watch Monday’s game

The Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics square off on Monday with first pitch set for 4:07 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Houston will start Framber Valdez (4-2, 2.83) as Oakland sends Paul Blackburn (5-0, 1.70 ERA) to the mound.

The Astros (30-18) were able to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners by picking up the 2-1 victory on Sunday. They needed this win ahead of starting this three-game road series against Oakland. Houston still has a 3.5-game lead in the AL West. Valdez will start the series opener. This will be his 10th start of the year, but his first against the Athletics. In his last outing, he pitched seven innings and gave up seven hits and three earned runs while striking out four on the way to his third straight victory.

The A’s (20-30) had won seven straight games to start the month, and can’t seem to build any sort of momentum. In a four-game series with the Texas Rangers, Oakland dropped the first three games but were able to at least win Sunday’s game 6-5. Blackburn gets the starting nod and has been the Athletics' best pitcher this season. In his last outing, he pitched 5.1 innings and gave up only one hit while striking out two.

Astros vs. Athletics

Pitchers: Framber Valdez vs. Paul Blackburn
First pitch: 4:07 p.m. ET
Astros local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Athletics local broadcast: NBC Sports California
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Astros -1.5 (-105)
Run total: 7
Moneyline odds: Astros -170, Athletics +150

Moneyline pick: Athletics +150

I could not recommend the Astros as -170 favorites going up against an Athletics starter who has a 5-0 record with a 1.70 ERA going into his 10th start of 2022. If he keeps throwing the way he has all season, Oakland should have a great chance at winning this game with incredible value at +150 odds.

Player prop pick: Paul Blackburn Under 3.5 strikeouts (-170)

For as good as Blackburn has been on the mound this season, he is not putting up big strikeout numbers and will go up against an Astros offense that averages the seventh-fewest strikeouts per game. Blackburn failed to reach 4 strikeouts in three of his last four starts.

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