Heading into game two of this American League matchup, it will be Jack Flaherty on the mound for the Orioles (70-43, 35-22 home), facing off against the Astros (65-49, 34-24 away) and Cristian Javier. Find out my prediction for today’s Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles game in Baltimore.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS BALTIMORE ORIOLES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Baltimore Orioles +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards at 7:05 ET on Wednesday, August 9th.

WHY BET THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES:

  • In their previous ten games, the Orioles are 8-2 vs. the runline.
  • The Orioles are 6-4 against the runline in their ten most recent games as the favorite.
  • The Orioles are 3-1 in Jack Flaherty’s last four starts.

HOUSTON ASTROS TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN AL WEST

Leading up to today’s game, the Astros are 2nd in the AL West on a record of 65-49. Overall, they have played in 36 different series, going 19-14-3. When playing above .500 teams, the Astros are 65-49, and currently hold win percentages of 55.4% at home and 58.6% on the road.

The Astros will turn to starter Cristian Javier, who has a 7-2 record in 21 appearances this season. His ERA is 4.39, while his K/9 stands at 8.55 and his FIP is 4.50, with an OBP of .289.

Cristian Javier’s latest start against the Yankees resulted in three runs and four hits over 4 2/3 innings. Unfortunately, the Astros were unable to come away with a victory, falling 4-3.

Offensively, Houston is ranked 9th in the league with an average of 4.8 runs per game. When looking over their last five matchups, the Astros averaged 5.4 runs per contest, which is 6th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Houston is 9th in all of baseball, with a total of 147 home runs.

The Astros’ Kyle Tucker is the team’s leader in hits, boasting a .297 batting average. He has a .512 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .377 entering the game.

WILL THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Throughout the season, the Orioles have taken advantage of playing at home, posting a series record of 11-6 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Their overall record of 70-43 puts Baltimore 1st in the AL East. Against the runline, their overall record is 70-43 and 29-28 at home. This year’s Orioles’ games have an over/under record of 58-48.

The Orioles will turn to starter Jack Flaherty, who has an 8-6 record thus far in the 2023 season. In 21 appearances, Flaherty has posted a 4.28 ERA and 8.87 K/9 rate. His FIP stands at 4.08, while his OBP is .355.

Jack Flaherty notched a quality start and a victory in his most recent game against the Blue Jays, as the Orioles secured a 6-1 win. The right-hander allowed one run and four hits over six innings of work.

Across their last five games, the Orioles’ offense is 1st in batting average, leading to an average of 6.2 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 7th ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .744 on 131 (14th). On average, they have struckout 8 times per game compard to 3.2 walks.

Ryan Mountcastle has been a major offensive force for the Orioles this season, boasting a .266 batting average and .471 slugging percentage. Over the past ten games, he has been even more impressive, leading Baltimore in hits with an incredible .556 batting average.