San Francisco Giants at Houston Astros prediction, pick 5/1: Astros surviving key injuries

Yardbarker Quick Pick

Houston's Luis Garcia hasn't allowed a run in back-to-back starts and the Astros are slowly starting to turn the corner while the Giants bullpen continues to be a disaster (worst in the NL). So, not only are we taking Houston on the moneyline (-180), we're taking them on the runline (-1.5, +115) too. This game could be close for a while, but we like the 'stros to pull away by multiple runs in the later innings. — Jared Shlensky, Yardbarker

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Monday, 8:10 p.m. ET
San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-125) runline, +165 moneyline, over 8.5 (-114)
@ Houston Astros: -1.5 (-115) runline, -180 moneyline, under 8.5 (+104)

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Brantley is on a rehab assignment, although manager Dusty Baker said over the weekend that there is no set at-bat or innings threshold for the outfielder to reach while in the minors. He was expected to return early this month.

Altuve might not be far behind, providing a boost for a club still trying to put its pieces in place.

"We're still at that progress point trying to analyze if we have enough compared to the other clubs," Baker said. "I don't worry about them, but you still compare."

Right-hander Luis Garcia (2-2, 4.00 ERA) is Houston's scheduled starter for Monday. He has logged back-to-back scoreless outings, having allowed three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over six innings in the Astros' 5-0 win over the host Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

In his previous start, he went seven scoreless innings in an 8-1 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on April 19. Garcia allowed two hits and one walk while matching his career high of nine strikeouts.

Garcia is 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA in his one appearance against the host Giants. He surrendered five runs on eight hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings against San Francisco on Aug. 1, 2021, a 5-3 loss.

Right-hander Ross Stripling (0-1, 6.89 ERA) will start the series opener for the Giants. He will be making his third start, and the second in succession, after he allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk with a strikeout over 3 1/3 innings in the Giants' 5-4 victory over the visiting New York Mets on April 23. Stripling did not factor into the decision.

His previous three appearances were out of the bullpen.

Stripling is 1-1 with a 4.97 ERA over three career starts against the Astros. In his previous appearance against Houston, Stripling, then with Toronto, allowed three runs on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts over four innings in the visiting Blue Jays' 4-3 victory on April 22, 2022.

The Giants dropped both games of a two-game set against the San Diego Padres in Mexico City, falling 6-4 on Sunday for their third consecutive loss. The skid followed a five-game win streak that had them within two games of .500.

Adding injury to insult, the Giants lost center fielder Mike Yastrzemski to a hamstring injury in the eighth inning on Sunday. He has a .292/.333/.521 slash line with five home runs and 14 RBIs. He trails team home run leader J.D. Davis by one

Yastrzemski will undergo an MRI on Monday.

The injury is "a bummer," he said. "Try to just keep the spirits high and see where it goes."