MLB Betting: Astros Looking Over Shoulders

Following a sweep by the Seattle Mariners, the Houston Astros look to get back on track Tuesday night when they begin an interleague matchup with the Colorado Rockies.

Houston heads into Tuesday night having dropped four straight, all as the favorites at Bovada Sportsbook. The Astros are also riding a surprising eight-game losing streak at home. Looking to end that Tuesday will be Justin Verlander (11-7, 2.50), while German Marquez (9-9, 4.69) will get the call for Colorado.

Verlander is coming off a dreadful start against the Mariners in which he was blasted for six runs on seven hits in only two innings. Houston lost 8-6 as a -135 favorite at Bovada Sportsbook. In four career starts against the Rockies, Verlander is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA, and in 46 career interleague starts he’s a stellar 33-6 with a 2.76 ERA.

Marquez took the loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last start after giving up three runs on 10 hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings. Colorado lost 4-3 as a -119 favorite. In two interleague starts this season, Marquez is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA.

The Rockies and Astros split a short two-game series last season. Heading into that series the Astros had won six straight games against Colorado.

Mariners, Athletics clash in AL West tilt

Also on Tuesday night’s schedule the Mariners visit the Oakland Athletics with both teams in the running for the second AL wild-card spot.

Tuesday’s scheduled pitching matchup is James Paxton (10-5, 3.63) for Seattle and Mike Fiers (7-6, 3.40) for Oakland.

Paxton led Seattle to an 8-6 win over the Astros as a +125 underdog in his last start, allowing four runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings. In his lone start against Oakland this season, he posted a no-decision despite tossing seven shutout innings with 16 strikeouts.

Fiers made his Oakland debut in his last start and posted a no-decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers after allowing one run on four hits in 5.1 innings. He faced Seattle as a member of the Detroit Tigers in May and took the loss, yielding four runs on six hits in six innings.

In nine matchups with the Athletics this season, the Mariners are 6-3, and the last five games between the two have all gone UNDER the posted total. In Oakland, the Mariners have dominated this matchup lately with a 7-2 mark in their last nine games.