The Houston Astros meet the Baltimore Orioles for the first time since 2019, so here’s the best Astros vs. O’s betting pick for the opening contest set for Monday, June 21, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore with the first pitch at 7:05 PM ET.
The Astros open as -152 favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Orioles are +140 home dogs with a total of 10.0 runs. Houston has won 16 of its last 20 games against the O’s including five of their previous seven duels at Camden Yards.
The Astros steamrolled the White Sox in a four-game set
The Houston Astros are rolling on a seven-game winning streak following an 8-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon. They will be pleased with a sweep over one of the best teams in the American League, as the Astros improved to 43-28 on the season.
Houston owns the highest-scoring offense in the majors, tallying 5.59 runs per contest. The Astros also lead the way in batting average (.274), on-base percentage (.344), and slugging percentage (.451), and over the last couple of weeks, they’ve recorded an impressive .965 OPS.
Jake Odorizzi will take the hill Monday, and the 31-year-old righty hasn’t impressed in his first season with the Astros. Odorizzi is 1-3 with a pedestrian 5.68 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in six starts and one relief appearance in 2021. The Astros surrender 4.07 runs per contest (11th in the MLB) while posting the second-best fielding percentage (.988).
The Orioles’ pitching staff continues to struggle
The Baltimore Orioles have dropped ten of their last 11 games overall. They fell to 23-48 on the season following a 7-4 defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, as the Orioles’ pitching staff had another bad day in the office.
The O’s yield 5.23 runs per game (28th in the majors), and their pitching staff sports the second-highest ERA in baseball (5.23). The fact that these two numbers are exactly the same tells you enough about the quality of Baltimore’s rotation and bullpen. On the other side of the ball, the O’s are tallying 4.10 runs per contest (20th) on a .239/.303/.400 slash line.
Keegan Akin will get the starting nod Monday, and the 26-year-old southpaw is 0-2 with a 5.76 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in four starts and four relief appearances this season. He’s been charged for a loss in two straight outings, allowing 11 earned runs across 9.2 frames in the process.
Trends:
Houston:
- 7-0 in the last seven games overall
- 16-4 in the last 20 games against Baltimore
- 5-2 in the last seven games on the road
Baltimore:
- 1-10 in the last 11 games overall
- 2-5 in the last seven home tilts against Houston
Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles Pick:
The Orioles have surrender seven or more runs in five of their previous six games overall, so I don’t see how they think to slow down the hottest offense in baseball. Therefore, I’m backing the visitors to win, although Jake Odorizzi is not a guy you can trust.
The Orioles have recorded a .749 OPS over the last two weeks, enough for the 13th-best in the majors. However, their 6.79 ERA during that span promises some tough time on the mound against the Astros’ powerful lineup.
Free MLB Picks: Take Houston Astros at -152
Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles Total:
The Astros bullpen sports the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors this month (2.52), while the Orioles ‘pen owns the fifth-highest ERA of 5.56. The line at 10.0 runs is always a tricky one, but considering all the facts, I have to back the over.
The Orioles should score a few runs off Odorizzi. On the other side, the Astros shouldn’t have any problems putting some serious numbers on the scoreboard in this matchup.
Pick: Go over 10.0 runs at -110