On Thursday afternoon, the Oakland Athletics face off against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, wrapping up their three-game series. As the Athletics fight to keep their standing above the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West Division, the Astros are on track for yet another first-place finish. The matchup features Athletics right-hander Mitch Spence (7-9, 4.42) opposing Astros lefty Framber Valdez (14-6, 2.97). Fans can look forward to the first pitch at 2:10 pm EST.
Mitch Spence Takes the Mound for Oakland
The Oakland Athletics entered Houston with a narrow two-game lead over the Angels, aiming to avoid another last-place finish in the AL West Division. This marks the final season for the A’s in Oakland before their upcoming move to Sacramento next year, while awaiting their new stadium in Las Vegas. In a thrilling series opener, the A’s secured a 4-3 victory in 12 innings, utilizing clever bunting to score two key runs.
*This article was composed prior to the conclusion of Wednesday night’s game.
The Athletics will turn to righty Mitch Spence for the decisive game of the series. Spence has made a total of 31 appearances this season, with 20 as a starter. He holds a record of 7-9, accompanied by an ERA of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.37. Over the course of 130.1 innings pitched, he has surrendered 137 hits, including 16 home runs, while striking out 111 batters and issuing 41 walks. In his last outing, a dramatic 7-6 win over Detroit that extended into 13 innings, Spence allowed just one run on eight hits over 4.1 innings, striking out six.
Key Injuries: SS Max Muncy, 1B Tyler Soderstrom, RP Gerson Moreno, RP Austin Adams, and LF Esteury Ruiz are unavailable.
Framber Valdez Aims for Another Win
The Houston Astros are close to clinching the AL West title, which would be their fourth consecutive championship and eighth in nine seasons. After a slow start, the Astros have managed to overcome injuries to both their pitching rotation and key lineup players, now holding a solid lead in the division with fewer than 20 games remaining. They suffered a 4-3 loss in the opener, despite rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the seventh inning. Jose Altuve shone in that game, going 3-for-5 and driving in two runs.
*This article was composed prior to the conclusion of Wednesday night’s game.
For the series finale, the Astros will hand the ball to their in-form lefty, Framber Valdez. As of now, Valdez boasts a record of 14-6, a 2.97 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.09. He has achieved 15 quality starts out of 25 overall and permitted only 122 hits across 157.1 innings pitched. Valdez has struck out 153 batters while walking 50 and has given up just 11 home runs. He has been particularly effective lately, winning four of his last five starts and allowing only two hits in his last 14 innings without a run.
Key Injuries: SP Jairo Solis, SP Jayden Murray, RP Penn Murfee, and RP Kendall Graveman are sidelined.
Smart Bets for A’s vs. Astros Showdown
As the Astros entered this series, they had secured seven victories in their last ten encounters with the Athletics. With Valdez on the mound for the series finale, he has proven nearly untouchable in his recent outings. The Astros have won four of his last five starts. With the return of All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker, the Astros’ lineup is nearly back to full strength, adding more depth and protection for power hitter Yordan Alvarez. As the Astros approach a division title with 17 games remaining, they aim to clinch it as soon as possible to strategically set up their playoff rotation. Winning games like this one is critical for them.
