Houston Astros vs San Francisco Predictions, Odds, and Preview, 07/31/2021

by James Q

Friday, Jul 30, 2021

Houston Astros vs San Francisco Predictions, Odds, and Preview, 07/31,2021




Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Saturday, July 31, 2021

Venue: Oracle Park, San Francisco, Ca

Where to Watch: Astros - ATT Sportsnet-SW - Giants - NBCS BA

Season-to-Date Record:
Astros: 63, 40 (1st place, American League West)
Giants: 64-38 (1st place, National League West)

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks:
DraftKings: Moneyline odds: Houston -111. - San Francisco -111; Over/Under: 8 runs


Key Injuries
:
Astros:  Alex Bregman (Quad) Out,  Colin Barber (Shoulder) OUT
Giants:  Brandon Belt (Knee) Out, Evan Longoria (Shoulder) Out

Recent Lineups:


Astros:

  1. J Altuve (R) 2B
  2. A Díaz (R) 3B
  3. Y Alvarez (L) DH
  4. Y Gurriel (R) 1B
  5. C Correa (R) SS
  6. K Tucker (L) RF
  7. C McCormick (R) LF
  8. M Straw (R) CF
  9. J Castro (L) C


Giants:

  1. A Slater (R) CF
  2. W Flores (R) 3B
  3. M Yastrzemski (L) RF
  4. D Ruf (R) 1B
  5. D Solano (R) 2B
  6. B Crawford (L) SS
  7. T Estrada (R) LF
  8. C Casali (R) C
  9. J Cueto (R) P


Statistical Leaders:


Astros:
Batting Average:  Michael Brantley (.326)
Hits: Yuli Gurriel (110)
Home Runs: Jose Altuve (23)
RBI: Yordan Alvarez (67)
Stolen Bases:  Myles Straw (17)
Wins:  Zach Greinke (10)
ERA: Framber Valdez (2.97)

Giants:
Batting Average:  Buster Posey (.326)
Hits: Brandonn Crawford (79)
Home Runs:  Brandon Crawford (18)
RBI: Brandon Crawford (60)
Stolen Bases: Brandon Crawford (7)
Wins:  Anthony DeScalfani (10)
Saves:  Jake McGee (21)
ERA:  Kevin Gausman (2.21)

Managers:

Astros: Dusty Baker
Giants: Gabe Kapler


Recent Form:



The Houston Astros are 7-3 over their last 10. Going 2-1 against the Cleveland Indians (Guardians), 2-1 against the Seattle Mariners, and sweeping  the Texas Rangers in a three-game matchup.  They are a hot Team and recently slid into first place overall in the majors. Astros games are a good ticket these days as the hitters are hitting, the pitchers are throwing well off the mound, and if you listen close you can faintly hear the sounds of trashcans banging. 


The San Francisco Giants are 6-4 over their last ten games.  They are 2.5 games up on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The Giants are in great position to finish the season strong. The Giants may take a strikeout looking at this trade deadline (deadline now, at time of writing, nothing filed). The Dodgers were willing to sacrifice prospects to get Sherzer and a star Short stop.  All over the league team's are making changes to the Outfield, home plate, trying every configuration. Average teams are dumping batters, runners, even their top pitcher....., for Triple-A talent with no guarantee of the team's win expectancy.  The Giants in all likelihood will see the Dodgers box scores explode while explaining why their own best efforts fell flat... San Fran fans will take it with a grain of salt.....Is what I would have said if they hadn't just acquired slugger Kris Bryant from the Cubs!!


Statistical Comparison:



The Astros are 1st in the league in hitting they have a .267 team average.  They have batted in a total of 562 runs on the season.


The Giants are 3rd in the league in pitching they have a 3.31 ERA.  They have struck out a total of 889 batters, which is low (17th), meaning they rely on fielding to get it done.




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Astros vs Giants Game Preview:



The Astros will start Zach Greinke and I never bet against Greinke.  Even from upper level seats you can see his mastery of ball location.  He can strike out (insert favorite batter's name) and he can pick off (insert favorite baserunner's name). His official record is 10-3 with a 3.48 ERA with 93 strikeouts.  That's not baseball's best but I still never bet against him.  I look past the pitch data and the probability of a team to handle his sequence of pitches on any given plate appearance.  When someone wins me money I never pit the play data or perspective of the batting team against my bulging wallet.


The Giants will start Alex Wood, a tough pitcher in his own right, on the mound.  Alex has a record of 9-3 with a 3.65 ERA and 102 strikeouts.  He is adept at getting batters to hit into a flyball to keep his number of pitches down.  While he won't outright rob contests of the random baserunning event, he will rely on his defensive players to limit the advancement of baserunners.  His whip is 1.17. He is a solid starter.



Trends:


Astros:  The Astros are 7-3 on the moneyline over the last 10.  They've notched 6 overs and 4 unders.


Giants:  The Giants are 6-4on the moneyline over the last 10.  They've notched 5 overs, 4 unders, and 1 push.

Astros vs Giants Prediction: Our MLB Pick for Saturday's game is Astros 5, Giants 2 



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James Q

About the Author:

James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.

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