Game three of this interleague series sees the Marlins (63-58, 37-26 home) and Astros (69-52, 36-26 away) facing off at loanDepot Park. The starting pitcher for the Marlins will be Jesús Luzardo, while the Astros are turning to Justin Verlander. Find out who I like to win in this Miami Marlins and Houston Astros showdown.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS MIAMI MARLINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Houston Astros -127

This game will be played at loanDepot Park at 6:40 ET on Wednesday, August 16th.

WHY BET THE HOUSTON ASTROS:

  • Over their last five games on the road, Houston has a straight-up record of 3-2.
  • In their two most recent games as the underdog, the Astros are 2-0.
  • Jesús Luzardo has given up five away runs across his last five starts.

HOUSTON ASTROS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD

Entering game 122 of their season, the Astros are 3.5 games out in the AL West and are in 2nd place. So far, their overall series record stands at 21-14-3. Houston’s road winning percent is currently 58.1% (36-26) compared to 55.9% at home (33-26).

Today, Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros will take the mound with the aim of limiting home runs, having allowed one in each of his last two outings. Verlander has compiled a 7-6 record and 3.19 ERA this season, striking out 92 batters and boasting a K/9 rate of 7.71. Additionally, he has averaged 2.77 walks per nine innings pitched.

Justin Verlander earned his tenth win of the season in his last start against the Angels, as the Astros cruised to an 11-3 victory. The veteran right-hander pitched six innings, allowing three runs on six hits while earning a quality start.

The Astros have been one of the top power lineups in the league of late, having hit 6 home runs over their last five games. Compared to other clubs, this is 5th best in that span. For the season, they are ranked 8th in home runs and 10th in slugging percentage. Overall, Houston is averaging 4.9 runs per game (6th).

The Astros’ offense has been bolstered this season by Kyle Tucker, who is batting .296 with 89 runs batted in and 23 home runs.

WILL THE MIAMI MARLINS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

On a record of 63-58, the Marlins come into today’s game 3rd in the NL East. When playing at home, they are 37-26 and 26-32 on the road. Miami has played in 38 series thus far, and have gone 20-17-1.

Miami’s Jesús Luzardo has an 8-7 record and 3.90 ERA this season. His ERA is higher on the road (5.24) than at home (4.08). The right-hander has a 1.24 WHIP and .245 batting average against, while opponents have a .421 slugging percentage against him.

Jesús Luzardo’s last start ended after 3 1/3 innings, with the Marlins suffering a 9-4 loss to the Yankees. Luzardo allowed nine hits and seven earned runs in the outing.

This season, the Marlins are 24th in the league at 4.1 runs per game. Over their last five games, they have a combined batting average of .241 (13th) leading to 5 runs per contest. Overall, they are generating 2.6 walks per game compared to 7 strikeouts. Miami’s on-base percentage of .317 has them 12th in the MLB.

Over the Marlins’ past five contests, Jake Burger has been the team’s top hitter, batting .453. For the 2023 season, Burger holds a .227 average and has tallied 58 RBIs.