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At 4:10 PM ET, the Diamondbacks and Astros square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Minute Maid Park in Houston, and the Astros are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -165. Arizona is +141 on the money line, and they are 3rd in the NL West with a record of 79-63.
The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and Yusei Kikuchi will start for the Astros, while the Diamondbacks are sending Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound. Arizona has lost two straight heading into Saturday’s game.
Arizona vs. Houston Key Information
- Teams: Diamondbacks at Astros
- Where: Minute Maid Park Houston
- Date: Saturday, September 7th
- Betting Odds HOU -165 | ARI +141 O/U 8
The Diamondbacks Can Win If…
Eduardo Rodriguez and the Diamondbacks are on the road to take on the Astros. Rodriguez has started 3 games this season, with his most recent outing being a loss to the Dodgers. He went 4 innings, giving up 3 runs on 2 homers. In his first start, he picked up a win vs. the Marlins, going 5 1/3 innings and striking out 5.
Arizona has been the best offensive team in the league this season, averaging 5.4 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.6 runs per contest. Not only do the Diamondbacks lead the league in OBP and are 2nd in batting average, they are also 4th in walks and have the league’s 4th best slugging percentage.
Ketel Marte has been the team’s top power threat this season, as his 30 home runs are the best mark on the team and 12th best in the league. He is also 2nd on the team with 81 RBIs and has a team-best batting average of .296. Eugenio Suarez has also been a key power bat for the Diamondbacks, hitting 24 homers this season. Over his last five games, Suarez is 6/17 with two homers.
- The Diamondbacks are 4-6 in their last ten games.
- Over their last five games, the Diamondbacks are 2-3 vs. the run line.
- Arizona has an over/under record of 8-2 in their last ten games.
- The Diamondbacks have an average of 4.4 runs per game over their last five games.
- Across their last ten road games, the Diamondbacks are 8-2
- Looking back across the Diamondbacks last five games as the favorite, they are 4-1
- Arizona has gone 0-3 in their last three games as the underdog
- In their ten most recent road games, the Diamondbacks have averaged 6.1 runs per game on offense
The Astros Can Win If…
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Diamondbacks at home. Kikuchi has made 28 starts this season and has a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 4.24. In his last outing, he picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run on five hits. Looking back further, Kikuchi has allowed three earned runs in each of his last three outings. Kikuchi has a WHIP of 1.25 and is averaging 10.57 strikeouts per nine innings. So far, he has made nine quality starts.
Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros’ top hitter this season, batting .310 with 32 home runs and 79 RBIs. He has also gone deep four times in his last five games. Jose Altuve is also swinging a hot bat right now, as he is on a three-game hitting streak and is batting .297 for the season. Altuve has 18 homers and 58 RBIs.
As a team, the Astros are averaging 4.6 runs per game and are the league’s 3rd best hitting team, with a combined batting average of .260. They have been a good home run hitting team this season and are near the top of the league in terms of avoiding strikeouts.
- The Astros are 6-4 in their last ten games.
- Over their last five games, the Astros are 2-3 vs. the run line.
- Houston has an over/under record of 4-5-1 in their last ten games.
- The Astros have an average of 4.6 runs per game over their last five games.
- Across their last ten home games, the Astros are 3-7
- Looking back across the Astros last five games as the favorite, they are 2-3
- Houston has gone 1-2 in their last three games as the underdog
- In their ten most recent road games, the Astros have averaged 3.9 runs per game on offense
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The Lean
Today’s game between the Diamondbacks and Astros has the 5th highest projected runs total and 5th highest hits total. Our lean would be to take the over. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Astros to come out on top. Looking at today’s starters, Yusei Kikuchi has the 7th best strikeout projection among today’s starters compared to Eduardo Rodriguez (8th).
