Athletics (44-62) vs. Houston Astros (60-44)
Game Details: Saturday, July 26, 2025 @ 7:10 pm EST
Location: Daikin Park in Houston, Texas
J. Lopez (L) vs. H. Brown (R)
Where to Watch: MLB.TV
The Athletics are entering the second game of their four-game American League West series against the Houston Astros on Saturday evening inside Daikin Park. The Athletics dominated on Friday with a 15-3 road win to begin the series. The Athletics are fifth in the AL West and have left-hander Jacob Lopez on the mound. The Astros are first in the AL West with a 60-44 record and have right-hander Hunter Brown getting the start.
Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total Runs | Money Line |
 | +1.5 (-127) | Over 7.5 (-1115 | +168 |
 | -1.5 (+104) | Under 7.5 (-105) | -208 |
Apex Tale of The Tape
| Team Stats | |
| 4.32 | Runs/G | 4.37 |
| .250 | BA | .258 |
| .316 | OBP | .323 |
| .425 | SLG | .407 |
| .741 | OPS | .730 |
| 141 | HR | 116 |
| 59 | SB | 55 |
| 5.18 | ERA | 3.71 |
| 1.42 | WHIP | 1.19 |
| 8.14 | K/9 | 9.68 |
| .982 | Fielding Percentage | .988 |
| 24 | Saves | 33 |
Projected Starting Pitchers H2H
| Jacob Lopez | Player Stats | Hunter Brown |
| 3-6 | W/L | 9-4 |
| 4.60 | ERA | 2.57 |
| 60.2 | IP | 119.0 |
| 1.34 | WHIP | 0.99 |
| 75 | K | 144 |
| 24 | BB | 36 |
Key Stats
Athletics
The Athletics are hitting at a strong level as the team is seventh in MLB with a .741 team OPS while scoring 4.32 runs per game up to this point. They are hitting for power as they are also seventh with 141 total home runs hit. The lineup has not been doing too well stealing bases as they are tied with the Colorado Rockies for 23rd place with 55 stolen bases on 76 attempts. First baseman has been hitting at an amazing level as he has a .305/.374/.686 slashline with 23 homers, 59 RBI, 45 runs scored, and two steals while being caught once.
Left-hander Jacob Lopez is going to be taking the mound for the Athletics for Saturday’s game and is struggling thus far as he is 3-6 with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in 60.2 innings of work. He is struggling to keep the ball in the park as hitters have 11 home runs over the year heading into this start. Lopez faced Houston once already this season and did not factor into the decision as he pitched six innings and allowed one run on four hits with a pair of hit by pitches, three walks, and nine strikeouts.
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros have been hitting at a middling level as they have a .258/.323/.407 team slashline while averaging 4.37 runs per game so far. First baseman Christian Walker needs to improve at the dish as he has a .671 OPS with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, 40 runs scored, and one steal without being caught.
The Houston Astros are sending young righty Hunter Brown to the hill and pitched well up to this point as in his first 20 starts, he is 9-4 with a 2.57 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 119.0 innings of work. He has been keeping hitters off balance as he is posting a .195 batting average against after a .242 opposing batting average in 2024. Brown faced the Athletics once this season and secured the win as he gave up one run on six hits with zero walks and eight strikeouts in six innings.
Athletics vs. Houston Astros Betting Trends
| Betting Stats | |
| 5-5 | W/L 10 | 5-5 |
| 53-53 | ATS | 49-55 |
| 55-43-8 | O/U | 44-54-6 |
Prediction
Hunter Brown has been doing an amazing job on the bump and should be able to limit the Athletics at the plate. These bullpens show a significant difference this season as Houston is fifth in baseball with a 3.39 reliever ERA while the Athletics are 29th in the majors with a 5.44 bullpen ERA thus far. The Athletics are going to struggle on the road so go with the Houston Astros to cover the spread.
