The Cleveland Guardians (19-10) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (10-19) on Wednesday, May 1st. This game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and televised on None. The Astros are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Guardians are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Astros. First pitch is set for 8:10 ET.
Guardians vs Astros
Houston had a huge 4th inning in the most recent game of this series, scoring five of their ten runs. As for the Guardians, they scored their only run in the 10th inning. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -174 on the money line.
Carlos Carrasco got the start for Cleveland, going just four innings while giving up eight runs and took the loss. Hunter Brown only went 5 1/3 innings for the Astros but gave up just two earned runs and got the win.
Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor each homered for the Guardians, while Jon Singleton and Alex Bregman went deep for the Astros. Singleton actually only had one hit in the game, but it was a home run.
Cleveland will be on the road today vs. the Astros, and they are 19-10 overall, putting them 1st in the AL Central. The Guardians currently lead the Royals by 2 games for the top spot in the division. The Guardians dropped the final game of their series vs. the Braves and followed that up with losing the series opener to the Astros.
So far, the Guardians have gone 4-1 in divisional games, and they have an overall series record of 7-2. Cleveland has been good on the road this year, coming in with an 11-6 record. As the road underdog, the Guardians have gone 7-4 this year, and they are 8-5 as the underdog overall. Cleveland’s losing streak is just two games, and they are 8-4 at home.
The Guardians have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 20-9 overall. They have been especially good on the run line on the road, going 12-5. Their average run margin on the road is +2.1, compared to +0.8 at home. They have covered the run line in their last three road games and have been a good bet as the underdog, going 11-2 on the run line in those games.
Today’s over/under line for the Cleveland Guardians’ game against the Houston Astros is set at 8.5 runs. The Guardians have played 27 games this season, and their games have averaged 8.9 runs per game. So far, their over/under record is 16-11. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, they have a 4-6 record. In 10.3% of their games, the over/under line has been set higher than 8.5 runs, and in 55.2% of their games, the line has been set lower.
Triston McKenzie Gets The Start For The Guardians
Triston McKenzie is getting the start for the Cleveland Guardians on the road against the Houston Astros. He has started 2 games this season, going 1-0. He has 13 strikeouts in 9 innings of work and has given up 2 home runs.
Guardians Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Guardians have been one of the better offensive teams in the league, averaging 5.2 runs per game, which is 4th in the MLB. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .248, which is 9th in the league, and have the 11th most home runs in the league.
Steven Kwan comes into the game with a six-game hitting streak and is batting .350 for the season. Over his last seven games, he has gone 8/25. José Ramírez and Josh Naylor have been the Guardians’ top power threats so far, with Ramírez leading the team with five homers and Naylor right behind him with seven. Both players also have 24 RBIs, which is 5th in the league.
Houston is hosting the Guardians today, looking to pick up another win and improve upon their 10-19 record. The Astros have won three straight games, with their most recent win coming in the first game of this series vs. the Guardians. In the AL West, the Astros are 6.5 games behind the Mariners for the division lead.
So far, the Astros have gone 4-3 in divisional games. They are 5-9 at home compared to 5-10 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are just 8-16 this season, and they are 2-3 as the underdog. Houston’s overall series record is 3-5-1 this year.
The Astros are 10-19 against the run line this season. They are 5-9 against the run line at home and 5-10 against the run line on the road. Their average run margin is -0.7 runs per game, but they have a run line record of 7-17 when they are favored. They are 3-2 against the run line as the underdog.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs for the Astros-Guardians game is the lowest line of the season for Houston. The Astros’ games have averaged 9.8 runs per game this year, and their over/under record is 9-18. This season, 75.9% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs, and their games have gone over the line in 11 of those 22 contests. Their games have gone over the total in 2 of the 4 games with an 8.5 run line.
Justin Verlander Gets The Start For The Astros
Justin Verlander is getting the start for the Astros today at home against the Guardians. He started the season with a win over the Nationals, but his last time out, he took a no-decision against the Cubs, going 4 1/3 innings and striking out 7.
Astros Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Astros are 16th in the league in scoring, averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been a better offensive team at home this season, averaging 5.1 runs per game. Overall, the Astros are 3rd in team batting average and have the league’s top on-base percentage. Houston’s lineup has been tough to strike out this season and is the top home run hitting team in the league.
Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker have been two of the Astros’ top power threats this season, as they are tied for the team lead with seven homers. Altuve is batting .345 for the season and has gone 2/5 with two homers over his past five games. Tucker is also swinging a hot bat right now, going 7/19 in his last five games.
Guardians vs Astros Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Guardians vs. Astros game is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Astros, giving us some wiggle room with the line sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Justin Verlander finishing with five strikeouts compared to Triston McKenzie with six. Verlander is projected to go 6.5 innings, and McKenzie is projected to go 5.2 innings.
If you’re looking for a money line pick, we would recommend going with the Astros, as we see them coming out on top. However, with a payout of -172, we prefer the over/under line.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 1, 2024 Astros, Guardians