Arizona Diamondbacks vs Houston Astros MLB Odd, Betting Preview 9/14/18

A little interleague MLB action on Friday evening and we will see the Arizona Diamondbacks grapple with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston. This is game one of a three-game series and has a start time of 8:10 pm ET. Arizona won two of the three games between these teams at home earlier in the year.

Lines:  Arizona +160… Houston -170… Over/Under 8

Pitching Matchup

Getting the nod for the Diamondbacks will be Robbie Ray and he has gone 5-2 with a 4.28 ERA in 20 starts on the year, including 3-1 with a 2.90 ERa in 10 starts on the road. In his career, he has gone 18-19 with a 3.2o ERA in 58 games (56 starts) on the road and 8-5 with a 4.32 ERA in 22 games (20 starts) during Sept/ Oct, plus 3-6 with a 4.71 ERA in 15 interleague starts. Ray has gone 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA in four starts against the Astros, including 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA in two starts here at Minute Maid Park.  

Dallas Keuchel gets the nod for the Astros and he has gone 11-10 with a 3.59 ERA in 30 starts on the year 4-5 with a 3.66 ERA in 14 starts here at home. In his career, he has gone 40-26 with a 3.04 ERA in 95 games (89 starts) here at Minute Maid Park and 13-7 with a 3.86 ERA in 24 starts during Sept/ Oct, plus 7-6 with a 3.05 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) in interleague play. Keuchel has gone 3-3 with a 4.00 ERA in six career starts against the D-Backs.

A Look At The Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks have lost some ground in their series with the Rockies. They had a chance to gain ground, but they lost three of the four games in that series and are now sitting 4.5 games out of first in the National League West. they seem to be running out of gas as they have now lost 14 of their last 20 games and it has been their pitching that has let them down of late. They have been solid on the mound for much of the year, but have now allowed 6.88 rpg over their last eight games. That just won’t get it done and if they hope to get back in the race, then they need their pitching to return. That may not be easy as they are facing one of the best offenses in the league.

On Thursday afternoon, they fell 10-3 in Colorado and getting rocked at the start of the game was Matt Koch. He got the start after Clay Buchholz was scratched just before the first pitch. Koch allowed four ERs on eight hits and two walks in just 3.0 inning of work. The bullpen didn’t fare much better the rest of the way as it allowed six ERs on eight hits and two walks over the final five innings. AJ Pollock had their lone homer of the game and it was his 17th of the year. The Diamondbacks have gone 40-35 on the road and they have averaged 4.18 rpg and have allowed 3.76 rpg in those games.

A Look At The Astros

The Houston Astros have been leading the American League West for much of the year and they currently have a 3.5 game lead over the A’s. That is a good lead, but they can’t let up on the gas as the A’s have been hot. The Astros have been hot themselves as they enter this contest having 10 of their last 11 games. That includes taking all three games from the Tigers in their last series. It was not easy as all three wins were by just one run. Their pitching has been the best in the league this year and even better of late as they have allowed just 2.72 rpg over their last 11 games. They will look to keep it going against an offense that has not been that good on the road.

On Wednesday, they topped the Tigers by a score of 5-4 and leading their attack on offense was Alex Bregman, who had two hits and drove in three runs. One hit was his 50th double of the year. Marwin Gonzalez and Tyler White had their other RBIs in the game. Gerrit Cole got the win after allowing two ERs on three hits and four walks while striking out nine in 5.0 innings of work. He is now at 14-5 with a 2.88 ERA on the year. Getting the save was Ryan Pressly, which was his 1st of the year. The Astros have gone 40-32 here at home and they have averaged 4.46 rpg and have allowed 3.51 rpg in those games.

Trends

Arizona is:

12-5 in Ray’s last 17 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.

16-7 in Ray’s last 23 road starts.

7-16 in Ray’s last 23 road starts vs. a team with a winning record

The Under is 12-3-1 in their last 16 road games

The Over is 6-0 in their last 6 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.

Houston is:

7-2 in Keuchel’s last 9 starts vs. the National League West.

23-8 in Keuchel’s last 31 starts with 4 days of rest

3-8 in their last 11 home games vs. a team with a winning record

The Under is 27-11-3 in their last 41 interleague games vs. a team with a winning record.

The Over is 7-3 in their last 10 games vs. a left-handed starter overall