Game 1 of a three-game interleague series between the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants will take place in San Francisco, California, at Oracle Park. It will start at 9:45 p.m. ET on Monday night and air on the MLB Network, Space City Home Network, and NBC Sports Bay Area.
The Houston Astros have been one of the most disappointing teams in the 2024 MLB season. They entered the year with an over/under win total of 93.5 games and are entering the series against the San Francisco Giants six games below .500 with a record of 30-36, which puts them in third place in the AL West.
However, the Astros are looking like they are turning things around. They have won their previous two series, including a 2-1 series win on the road against the Los Angeles Angels, which ended with Sunday's 7-9 loss in Game 3 of the series. Justin Verlander struggled in his start on Sunday against the Angels. He pitched 5 innings in the game and allowed 4 runs while striking out three. He also had a WHIP of 2.2 but didn't factor into the decision.
Houston lost two of the three games last season against San Francisco. However, both teams averaged 3 runs per game in those contests. The Houston Astros will look to start the three-game series off with a win when they travel to face the San Francisco Giants in Game 1.
The San Francisco Giants are in third place in the NL West this season and are two games below .500 on the year with a record of 32-34. However, they are coming off a 2-1 series win on the road against the Texas Rangers. They won Game 1 by a score of 5-2 and Game 2 by a score of 3-1 on Saturday before seeing their three-game winning streak end with a 2-7 loss in Game 3 of the series on Sunday.
The Giants have struggled in June. They have compiled a record of 3-5 this month and have been outscored by their opponents by an average of 4.25 to 4.88 runs per game in those contests. The Giants have split the last ten games with the Astros. However, in those meetings, Houston has outscored San Francisco by an average of 4.1 to 4.6 runs per game.
The San Francisco Giants will look to bounce back from their loss to the Rangers on Sunday when they host the Houston Astros for Game 1 of the series on Monday night.
BetNow has the Houston Astros listed as -115 moneyline favorites on the road against the San Francisco Giants for Game 1 of the series on Monday night. The teams have split the previous ten meetings 5-5, with Houston outscoring San Francisco by an average of 4.1 to 4.6 runs per game in those contests. The Giants have won the previous three games and are on a two-game winning streak in the series. However, both teams have averaged 3 runs per game in those matchups.
Both teams are below .500 on the season, with San Francisco's record of 32-34 and Houston's record of 30-36. However, San Francisco has won the last two games in the series by an average margin of 2 runs per game and has won four of the previous five games in the series, which is why I am taking the moneyline for the San Francisco Giants when they host the Houston Astros for Game 1 of the series.
