Orioles vs. Astros prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
Who's ready for a big time Monday evening matchup between a pair of American League powerhouses? The AL-best Baltimore Orioles will head south to clash with the Houston Astros on the diamond. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Orioles-Astros prediction and pick will be revealed.
Coming into this one, the Orioles sport a tremendous 93-56 record in what has been a remarkable one-year turnaround to say the least. Only a season ago, the O's did show some improvement but were only four games north of .500 at 83-79. However, 2023 has proven that this club has an array of young and dangerous talent that could take over the league in the next few years or so. After breaking a four-game losing skid with back-to-back wins over the Rays, Baltimore will turn to lefty John Means who is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in only one start.
On the other side of things, the 84-66 Astros lost two of three games to the lowly Royals but should be locked and loaded in their Monday matchup with the Orioles. Overall, Houston finds themselves in a dog fight within the AL West division as they hold a one and a half game lead over the Texas Rangers and a 2.5 game lead over the Mariners for the division lead.
Above all else, every game from here on out is extremely vital for the defending World Series champs. In line for the start in this one will be 40-year-old Justin Verlander who is 11-8 with a 3.39 ERA and has looked sharp since returning to Houston from New York.
Here are the Orioles-Astros MLB odds,
MLB Odds: Orioles-Astros Odds
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-137)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+114)
Over: 8.5 (-120)
Under: 8.5 (-102)
How To Watch Orioles vs. Astros
TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest/MASN
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:10 ET/5:10 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
Without a doubt, these are two teams that could very well end up meeting in October, as both have the skill to make a deep run come postseason time. All in all, Baltimore needs to stick to their guns and do what they do best in order to secure a covering of the spread in hostile territory.
With that being said, keep your eyes peeled for the Orioles to put up runs in a hurry especially in the early frames to eliminate any growing confidence the Astros can receive as the game marches on. With 13 runs scored combined in their previous two wins, remaining patient at the plate and capitalizing with runners in scoring position could be the difference between covering and not. Alas, this is a well-balanced lineup that can hurt opposing pitching in a multitude of ways as they have scored the sixth-most runs in baseball up to this point.
Not to mention, but a strong outing from an unfamiliar source in southpaw John Means will need to occur. At first glance, Means only has one start on the season as he has mostly worked as a reliever this summer, but he is the type of hurler that will pound the zone with strikes and barely give free passes to hitters. If Means can avoid walks and record outs consistently, then the Orioles will be in good shape.
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
As the regular season gets closer and closer to coming to it's final conclusion, the target on the backs of the Houston Astros continues to grow. Not only does everyone want a piece of the 2022 World Series champs, but the importance of winning games down the stretch of the next couple weeks is at an all-time high with major playoff implications on the line.
Regardless, the Astros main focus needs to be taking games one at a time especially in a competitive division race. Indeed, something tells me that Houston will not be overlooking this matchup against a stellar Orioles squad in front of the rowdy and raucous fans in Houston.
In order for the Astros to get off to a hot start on the path to covering the -1.5 run spread as favorites, there is not question that they need to ride the veteran arm of Justin Verlander who has been apart of many big moments over the course of his Hall-of-Fame career. With another division title possibly in plain sight with some gritty victories down the stretch, Verlander could be the man for the job against the Orioles on Monday.
Most importantly, the Astros have happened to score a total of 18 runs in their prior two games and need to continue to click on all cylinders with the bats in order to take care of business. Remember, this is a ferocious lineup that is near the top-five of baseball in nearly every hitting category and are fresh off of scoring consistently in their 7-1 win over the Royals. With one swing of the bat, the Astros can certainly flip this game upside down in a hurry.
Final Orioles-Astros Prediction & Pick
It doesn't get much better than this! It is hard to believe that this one will be one-sided, so it makes sense to side with Baltimore as +1.5 run underdogs to go on the road and break the hearts of Houston fans.
Final Orioles-Astros Prediction & Pick: Orioles +1.5 (-137)
