Houston Astros vs Baltimore Orioles Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/22/2024

Game Time: 7:08 pm ET, Thursday, August 22, 2024

Venue:  Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +136, Orioles -162; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +135, Orioles -160; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +135, Orioles -160; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Houston Astros:  68-57 (1st place, AL West)

Baltimore Orioles:  74-53 (1st place, AL East)

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Houston Astros:  8-2 last 10

Baltimore Orioles:  5-5 last 10

The Astros won their 3-game series against the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 68-57 record overall and have a road record of 33-29. This is the series opener of a 4-game series with the Orioles on Thursday with the series finale of their series against the Boston Red Sox still to be played on Wednesday. The Astros won the series opener of that series on Monday and lost the 2nd game on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .740 OPS. Justin Verlander is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while rookie pitcher Spencer Arrighetti is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 5-11 with a 5.20 ERA this season. His team lost 7 of their last 8 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 ER, 2 HR, and 2 BB with 5 Ks on 7 hits through 5.2 IP against the Chicago White Sox.

The Orioles split their 4-game series against the Boston Red Sox 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 74-53 record overall and have a home record of 37-28. This is the 1st game of a 4-game series with the Astros on Thursday with the 3rd game of their series against the New York Mets still to be played on Wednesday. The Orioles lost the 1st game of that series on Monday and won the 2nd game on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .770 OPS. Cole Irvin is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Corbin Burnes is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 12-5 with a 3.10 ERA this season. His team won 5 of their last 6 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 8 earned runs, 2 homers, and 3 BB with 7 strikeouts on 10 hits through 4 innings played against the Boston Red Sox.

The current betting odds have the Orioles listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Orioles have looked great in their games this season with their 74-53 record overall which has them leading the AL East with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They are trying to keep their lead over the Yankees in 2nd place and they have been a really good home team with their 37-28 home record. Meanwhile, the Astros have also looked good in their games this season with their 68-57 record overall which has them leading the AL West now and pulling away in the division. They haven't looked great in their road games though with their 33-29 road record. The Astros were terrible to start the season so they have come a long way to be in the position they are in now, but the Orioles have been a consistent team all season at the top of their division and have the constant pressure of having the Yankees right on their tail. The Orioles need to win these games more to win their division and they can take advantage of the better pitching matchup in this one. The Astros are going with Arrighetti in this one and he hasn't looked great in his rookie season. He is 5-11 with a 5.20 ERA and has been giving up a ton of runs lately. He gave up 4 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him and the team has lost 7 of the last 8 games he has started in. The Orioles are going to have a more reliable starter here with Burnes on the mound. He did give up 8 earned runs in his last start which was a terrible outing for him, but he will be looking to bounce back in this one and is still 12-5 with a 3.10 ERA this season. His team has also won 5 of their last 6 games with him starting so expect a much better performance from him here as he leads the Orioles to another important win. The best way to place a bet here is on the Orioles to win this game. 

Astros Orioles Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, August 22, 2024 (7:08 pm ET start time) is Orioles 6 Astros 2.

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Houston Astros: 35-18 (+12.30 units) on the moneyline in their last 53 games. 40-28 (+13.85 units) on the runline in their last 68 games. 73-52 to the under in their last 125 games. 

Baltimore Orioles: 25-29 (-14.60 units) on the moneyline in their last 54 games. 2-4 (-1.90 units) on the first 5 moneyline in their last 6 games. 30-23 to the under with their team total in their last 53 games. 

Houston Astros:  A. Bregman (3B) Prob Wed - Elbow. J. Verlander (SP) Prob Wed - Neck. J. France (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. R. Pressly (RP) Out indefinitely - Back. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) out of season - Forearm. K. Tucker (RF) Out indefinitely - Shin. K. Graveman (RP) out for season - Shoulder. C. Javier (SP) out of season - Forearm. J. Urquidy (SP) out for season - Forearm. B. Sousa (RP) out for season - Shoulder. O. Ortega (RP) Late July - Elbow. P. Murfee (SP) Mid July - Elbow. L. Garcia (SP) Mid July - Elbow.

Baltimore Orioles:  Z. Eflin (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. K. Akin (RP) Out indefinitely - Personal. J. Webb (SP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. G. Rodriguez (SP) Out indefinitely - Back. J. Westburg (3B) Out indefinitely - Hand. J. Mateo (SS) Out indefinitely - Elbow. D. Coulombe (RP) Late Sep - Elbow. K. Bradish (SP) out for season - Elbow. T. Wells (SP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. J. Means (SP) out for season - Elbow. F. Bautista (RP) out for season - Elbow.

“It’s a tough lineup, but I thought he battled. He kept us in the game. And our bullpen did a tremendous job, really good job just keeping us in the game. We just couldn't get a big hit there at the end.” - Joe Espada after his team’s loss against the Red Sox in their game on Tuesday.

“Stressful day and a little bit of a stressful evening. It’s going to take a team effort every single night. I was happy with how our guys were really locked in tonight.” - Brandon Hyde after his team’s win against the Mets in their game on Tuesday.

Alex Bregman (R) DH

Yordan Alvarez (L) LF

Yainer Diaz (R) 1B

Jeremy Peña (R) SS

Victor Caratini (S) C

Jake Meyers (R) CF

Mauricio Dubón (R) 2B

Shay Whitcomb (R) 3B

Chas McCormick (R) RF

Austin Slater (R) LF

Adley Rutschman (S) C

Gunnar Henderson (L) SS

Anthony Santander (S) RF

Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B

Eloy Jiménez (R) DH

Colton Cowser (L) CF

Ramón Urías (R) 3B

Jackson Holliday (L) 2B

Batting Average:  César Salazar (.318)

Hits:  Jose Altuve (151)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (25)

RBI:  Yainer Diaz (71)

Stolen Bases:  Jose Altuve (18)

Wins:  Framber Valdez (13)

Saves:  Josh Hader (27)

ERA:  Dylan Coleman (0.00)

Batting Average:  Cristian Pache (1.000)

Hits:  Gunnar Henderson (142)

Home Runs:  Anthony Santander (37)

RBI:  Anthony Santander (82)

Stolen Bases:  Cedric Mullins (23)

Wins:  Grayson Rodriguez (13)

Saves:  Craig Kimbrel (23)

ERA:  Vinny Nittoli (0.00)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (1st season)

Baltimore Orioles: Brandon Hyde (6th season)