Astros @ Athletics June 20 Free Pick

By MLB

We bet against the A’s at home on Sunday afternoon and lost. Now, we’re going to try it again on Tuesday.

Free Pick

Sonny Gray is scheduled to make his 10th start of the season on Tuesday. Five of his first nine have been quality starts but we haven’t seen much vintage Gray, the guy who can flat out shutdown the other team.

That said, a lot of his best starts have come against the best lineups. His best outing came against the Marlins back at the end of May (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER). His only other seven inning outing came against the Nats when he gave up three runs. He’s also pitched well against Boston and Texas. You kind of have the feeling he’ll be up for the Astros.

Daniel Gossett was really good for Oakland on Monday but the Athletics’ offense didn’t give the rookie much support. Gossett got 20 outs before being lifted in the seventh after giving up a two-out double and 100 pitches. The bullpen got him out of that one but he took the loss.

The Astros’ Francis Martes.

If Sonny Gray is on, he’ll do what Gossett did. Jose Altuve (who wears out Gray in his career), Carlos Correa and Carlos Beltran went 0-for in the 2, 3, 4 heart of the lineup last night and Brian McCann got the night off. It was the Astros’ no. 9 hitter Jake Marisnick who got Gossett with a two-run homer. Anybody in Houston’s lineup can beat you.

And the Stros may not need many because it’s Tuesday and Francis Martes is on the mound. Martes is one of the top prospects in the organization and the guy most commonly mentioned by those advocating that Houston does not need to trade for an established starting pitcher, like Sonny Gray.

Martes made his first start of his career last week against Texas and looked awfully good, limiting the Rangers to one run on three hits while striking out seven. He needed 88 pitches to get thru five innings. If he proves to be worthy of a spot among Keuchel, McCullers and Musgrove, the Astros have their postseason rotation right there, though I’m sure they would much prefer to be able to bring the rookie out of the bullpen.

But this is all just adjunct information. Martes means Tuesday in Spanish and it’s the big fella’s first time pitching on his day of the week his big big league career. Martes will begin what will become a long-standing Tuesday tradition tonight.

Free Pick: Houston (-115)


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