The Houston Astros took Game 1 of their series against the Oakland Athletics and will look to make it two in a row by sending Cristian Javier to the mound. The A's will go with Paul Blackburn for today's start. Javier is 7-1 this season with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP while Balckburn is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP.. Over Javier's last three starts, he is 0-0 with a bloated 11.47 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP in 13.1 innings of work. Over Blackburn's last three appearances (2 starts), he is 0-2 with a 10.03 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP in 11.2 innings. Neither pitcher has pitched well as of late so you have to look at the offenses to see who can take advantage of the bad pitching. The Astros are averaging 5.22 runs in their last 23 games while the A’s are scoring 3.5 runs in their last 24 games. If it comes down to the bullpens, the Astros have the advantage there also. The Astros rank seventh with a 3.70 reliever ERA while Oakland is last at 5.70. The Astros have outscored the A's 40-14 in the eight games. I like the Astros to win big and will lay the run-line for better value.

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