Diamondbacks vs Astros Prediction & MLB Odds For Sunday, September 8th
At 7:10 PM ET, the Diamondbacks and Astros face off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and has the Astros as the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -148. The Diamondbacks are +125 on the money line, and they will be looking to end a three-game losing streak.
Arizona comes into the game with a record of 79-64, while the Astros are 1st in the AL West with a record of 77-65. Justin Verlander will be on the mound for the Astros, while the Diamondbacks are starting Ryne Nelson.
Betting Odds & Lines for this Game
- Spread: Diamondbacks 1.5 (-172) | Astros -1.5 (+142)
- Total: 8.5
- MoneyLine: Diamondbacks +125 | Astros -148
All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)
Diamondbacks vs. Astros Prediction: Moneyline
Houston cruised to an easy 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 2nd inning, scoring four of their eleven runs. As for the Diamondbacks, they scored their first run in the 4th and added their final four runs in the 6th.
Yusei Kikuchi only went six innings for the Astros but gave up just two earned runs and picked up the win. Eduardo Rodriguez had a rough outing for the Diamondbacks, taking the loss after going just four innings and giving up four earned runs.
Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena each homered for the Astros, while Yordan Alvarez went 3/5 with three RBIs. Chas McCormick also had a two-hit game and drove in two runs.
Arizona is on the road today, taking on the Astros, and they are looking to snap a three-game losing streak, as they have dropped the first two games of this series. The Diamondbacks are 79-64 overall, putting them 3rd in the NL West. Currently, they trail the Dodgers by 6.5 games in the division.
At home, the Diamondbacks are 39-31 this year, and they are 40-33 on the road. As the underdog, Arizona is 34-38 this year, and they are 45-26 when favored. Arizona’s longest losing streak as the underdog this year is six straight, and they are 25-16-4 in series this year. The Diamondbacks have won three straight series on the road but have dropped two straight at home.
The Astros have won two straight games, and their overall record is 77-65, which has them leading the AL West by 5.5 games over the Mariners. So far, they are 21-18 in divisional games. Houston has been good at home this year, going 41-29, and they are an even 36-36 on the road.
As the favorite, the Astros have gone 59-46 this year and 18-19 as the underdog. At home, they have won six straight games, and they are 38-24 as the home favorite this year. Houston’s overall series record is 24-19-2.
Diamondbacks vs. Astros Prediction: Over/Under
The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the road today against the Houston Astros. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is lower than their season average of 9 runs per game. The Diamondbacks have gone over the total in 29 of their 46 games this season when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, and their games have averaged a combined 10.2 runs per game this season.
Arizona has been the best offensive team in the league this season, averaging 5.4 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.6 runs per contest. Not only do they lead the league in runs, but they also have the league’s top on-base percentage and are 2nd in team batting average. The Diamondbacks have also been a good power-hitting team, as they are 6th in homers and have the league’s 3rd best slugging percentage.
Over his last 10 games, Eugenio Suarez has been on fire, going 12/35 (.343) with 5 homers and 9 RBIs. This has helped him move into the team lead in RBIs, with 88. Ketel Marte is also having a big season, leading the team with 30 homers and is 2nd on the team with 81 RBIs. Marte’s batting average of .293 is also 2nd best on the team.
When the Astros are at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. This season, the combined run average in their games is 8.6 runs per game. Overall, the over/under record for the Astros is 57-80, and their average over/under line is set at 9 runs per game. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 17-26. So far this season, 29.6% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, and their over streak is at 2 games.
Yordan Alvarez has been a huge bright spot for the Astros this season, as he is batting .313 and leads the team with 32 home runs. He has also driven in 80 runs, which is also the best mark on the team. Over his last seven games, Alvarez has four homers and is batting .333. Jose Altuve comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak and is batting .300 for the season.
As a team, the Astros are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. They are also one of the best hitting teams in the league, with a team batting average of .261, which is the 2nd best mark in the MLB. Houston’s team on-base percentage is 7th in the league, and they have the 8th best slugging percentage in the league.
Diamondbacks vs. Astros Prediction: Spread
When the Diamondbacks are on the road, they have a run line record of 42-31. They have a run line record of 74-69 overall, and their average run margin is +0.6. When they are the underdog, they are 44-28 vs. the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +4.1, but it drops to -3.8 in losing games.
Ryne Nelson gets the start for the Diamondbacks today as he faces the Astros on the road. So far this season, he has made 24 starts and has a record of 10-6 with a 4.15 ERA. Nelson’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.26. In his 24 starts, he has turned in 12 quality starts and is averaging 7.62 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his recent outings, Nelson has been pitching well, as he hasn’t lost a game since August 8th. In his most recent outing, he gave up two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings of work, picking up the win.
When the Astros win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.8 runs per game. That’s helped them to a run line record of 73-69 on the season. They’ve been a solid bet at home, going 34-36 against the run line. They’ve also been a good bet on the run line as the underdog, going 25-12. Overall, they’ve been favored in 105 games and have gone 48-57 against the run line in those contests.
Through 13 starts, Justin Verlander has a record of 3-5 and an ERA of 4.52. Looking at his overall numbers, Verlander has a WHIP of 1.31 and has allowed a total of 12 home runs. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.91 strikeouts and 2.89 walks. Verlander has made five quality starts this year, and his last outing was a rough one. Against the Reds, he took the loss and gave up five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had lost two straight starts, giving up two earned runs in each outing.
Diamondbacks vs. Astros Pick: Astros ML -148
Our prediction for today’s Diamondbacks vs. Astros matchup is that the Astros will come away with a 6-5 win. Given that the payout for an Astros win is -148, we would recommend taking the Astros on the money line.
Looking at some of today’s starters, Justin Verlander is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which would have him ranked 11th among starters. As for Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which would have him ranked 16th.
