Houston Astros vs Baltimore Orioles Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/09/2023

Game Time: 7:05 pm ET, Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Venue:  Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Orioles -125; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Orioles -125; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Orioles -125; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Houston Astros:  64-49 (2nd place, AL West)

Baltimore Orioles:  70-42 (1st place, AL East)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Jack Banks is having a GREAT MLB SEASON going 97-63 for +$23,380! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Houston Astros:  6-4 last 10

Baltimore Orioles:  8-2 last 10

The Astros are entering this series off a loss and split their 4-game series against the New York Yankees 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 64-49 record overall and have a road record of 33-24. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Orioles on Wednesday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 15th in the MLB with a .735 OPS. Framber Valdez is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Cristian Javier is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 7-2 with a 4.39 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 ER, 2 HR, and 3 BB with 4 Ks on 4 hits through 4.2 IP against the New York Yankees.

The Orioles are entering this series on a 4 game winning streak and completed the sweep 3-0 in their 3-game series against the New York Mets in their last series. They enter this game with a 70-42 record overall and have a home record of 35-21. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Wednesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 11th in the MLB with a .743 OPS. Rookie pitcher Grayson Rodriguez is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Jack Flaherty is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 8-6 with a 4.28 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 8 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings played against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The current betting odds have the Orioles listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Orioles have been rolling in their games lately with the best record in the entire AL and they now have the lead of the AL East too. The Astros have also been rolling lately as they are trying to chase down the Rangers in 1st place of the AL West but as hot as their offense has been lately, the Orioles have still been hotter. The Astros will have Javier on the mound here and he has been good this season but he has still been giving up runs in his starts lately and he is going to get himself into trouble with this hot Orioles offense. He hasn't been as good in his road starts either so the Orioles will definitely take advantage of the scoring opportunities they get at home here. The Orioles will have their newly acquired starter Flaherty on the mound in this game and he was really good in his last start for the Orioles. He is going to continue pitching well here for his new team as he has been a really reliable starter for years and as hot as the Astros offense has been lately, they have still struggled to put up runs at times. The Orioles are going to use this home series to send a message to the defending World Series champions that they are here and they are going to be a threat this year. The best way to place a bet here is on the Orioles to win this game.

Astros Orioles Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 9, 2023 (7:05 pm ET start time) is Orioles 4 Astros 3.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Houston Astros Baltimore Orioles prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Houston Astros: 67-49 (-7.6 units) on the moneyline when the total is 9 to 9.5. 35-26 (-6.2 units) on the moneyline in August games. CRISTIAN JAVIER is 14-7 OVER in all games and 8-4 OVER as an underdog of +100 to +150.

Baltimore Orioles: 70-42 (+32 units) on the moneyline in all games. 37-13 (+18.8 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 22-13 OVER when the total is 9 to 9.5. JACK FLAHERTY is 8-2 OVER as a favorite of -110 or higher.

Houston Astros:  R. Pressly (RP) Ques Tues - Undisclosed. M. Brantley (DH) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) out for season - Elbow. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Baltimore Orioles:  A. Hays (LF) Ques Tues - Undisclosed. D. Tate (RP) Mid Aug - Forearm. A. Voth (SP) Mid Aug - Elbow. K. Akin (RP) Mid Aug - Back. C. Mullins (CF) Mid Aug - Groin. A. Hicks (CF) Mid Aug - Hamstring. J. Means (SP) Early Sept - Elbow. M. Givens (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.

“Just didn’t seem like that game was going to end. We helped them, they helped us. Hard-fought victory for us.” - Dusty Baker after his team’s win against the Yankees in their game on Sunday.

“Cole Irvin, outstanding. Fuji, that was the best stuff we've seen from Fuji. It's going to take all those guys down there the rest of the way. You hate to see Danny and Cano down. That was my decision.” - Brandon Hyde after his team’s win against the Mets in their game on Sunday.

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Yordan Alvarez (L) LF

Kyle Tucker (L) DH

Chas McCormick (R) RF

Jose Abreu (R) 1B

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Jake Meyers (R) CF

Martin Maldonado (R) C

Adley Rutschman (S) DH

Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B

Anthony Santander (S) RF

Gunnar Henderson (L) SS

Jordan Westburg (R) 2B

Ramon Urias (R) 3B

James McCann (R) C

Ryan McKenna (R) LF

Jorge Mateo (R) CF

Batting Average:  Kyle Tucker (.295)

Hits:  Kyle Tucker (119)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (21)

RBI:  Kyle Tucker (77)

Stolen Bases:  Kyle Tucker (23)

Wins:  Framber Valdez (9)

Saves:  Ryan Pressly (26)

ERA:  Hector Neris (1.52)

Batting Average:  Ryan O'Hearn (.308)

Hits:  Adley Rutschman (111)

Home Runs:  Anthony Santander (20)

RBI:  Anthony Santander (63)

Stolen Bases:  Jorge Mateo (25)

Wins:  Kyle Gibson (11)

Saves:  Felix Bautista (30)

ERA:  Chris Vallimont (0.00)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)

Baltimore Orioles: Brandon Hyde (5th season)