Sunday Night Baseball continues! Since the middle of June, two teams that were in the thick of last season’s MLB playoffs have been two of the best squads in the league.
The Arizona Diamondbacks – the defending NL pennant winners – and the Houston Astros – the defending AL West champs who fell to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS last year – meet this weekend down in Texas.
Since June 19, Houston has gone 42-25; over that same span, Arizona has gone 43-25.
In recent weeks, though, both teams have struggled a bit, as the Astros have won just seven of their last 15 and the Diamondbacks have dropped six of ten.
Don’t miss our online betting preview of this potential World Series matchup.
Sunday Night Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks at Houston Astros Preview | MLB Odds
When: Sunday, September 8, 2024, 7:00 pm ET
Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston
TV: ESPN
Radio: ESPN Radio
Live Stream: ESPN+
Pitching Matchup: Ryne Nelson (10-6, 4.15 ERA) (ARI) vs Justin Verlander (3-5, 4.52 ERA) (HOU)
Why should you bet on the Diamondbacks?
Ryne Nelson has gradually brought his ERA down from a season-high 5.69 on June 26.
Since August 4, he has not allowed more than two runs in any start, including a recent outing where he pitched 6 ⅔ innings, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out nine and walking just two in an 8-7 win that turned chaotic once the bullpen entered.
The Diamondbacks hope to get Ketel Marte back into the batting order, as an ankle injury has had him on the shelf for a few weeks.
Catcher Gabriel Moreno is out indefinitely, and replacement Adrian Del Castillo is just 1-for-13 – and he isn’t the best defensive catcher by any means.
If you like the Diamondbacks, you see Nelson pushing into the sixth or seventh inning and the Arizona bats doing enough damage against Verlander to get to the bullpen early.
^Why should you put your money on the Astros?
The 2024 season has not been an “ace” campaign for Justin Verlander. He hasn’t gotten a win in a start since May 24; his ERA for two starts in June was 7.20, before he went on th eIL.
He came back for a pair of decent starts in August, but his September debut, on Monday, saw Cincinnati rough him up for five runs on eight hits and four walks over 4 ⅔ innings as he struck out three in a 5-3 loss.
The Astros have only scored four runs in his last three starts combined, so the offense hasn’t been helping him much either.
In the batting order, Yordan Alvarez had a terrific August, posting a 1.178 ERA. Over 612 career games, his OPS is .975 as he is rolling toward Hall of Fame consideration.
Third baseman Alex Bregman had been trudging through a fairly mediocre season before posting a .947 OPS for the month of August. Jose Altuve has a 2024 OPS of just .784, which is 131 points lower than his season OPS from a year ago.
If you like the Astros, you see Verlander turning the clock back a bit and finding some prime-time momentum.
^Diamondbacks vs Astros Final Score and Prediction for Sunday Night Baseball
The Astros have the better talent in the batting order, but the Diamondbacks have been hitting the ball well as of late, and Verlander hasn’t been missing as many bats as he has in seasons past.
I see Arizona taking an early lead and then handing it to their bullpen late in a 5-3 win.
^guy's got moves.#Relentless x @STIHLUSA pic.twitter.com/JdXnls7LZC
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 5, 2024
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