The Milwaukee Brewers (26-18) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (20-25) on Saturday, May 18th. This game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and televised on BSWI. The Astros are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Brewers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Astros. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Brewers vs Astros
Houston picked up a 5-4 win over the Brewers in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 5th inning, scoring all five of their runs. As for the Brewers, they scored one run in the 2nd inning and added three more in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Astros were the slight underdogs at -104.
Both teams finished the game with 10 hits, and each team had two home runs. Milwaukee’s two homers came from Joey Ortiz and Jake Bauers. Houston got homers from Jeremy Pena and Jake Meyers.
Hunter Brown pitched well for the Astros in this one, going five innings and striking out five without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Josh Hader closed things out. Freddy Peralta had a rough outing for the Brewers, taking the loss.
Milwaukee leads the NL Central by two games over the Cubs, and they have an overall record of 26-18. The Brewers will be on the road today to take on the Astros, and they are 14-9 on the road this season. Milwaukee has gone 13-7 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Brewers have gone 12-9 this season. As the underdog on the road, the Brewers have put together a record of 10-5 this year. Milwaukee’s overall series record is 8-4-2, and they have won two straight series.
The Brewers have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 22-22 overall. They are 14-9 on the run line on the road, where they have a run differential of +1.3 runs per game. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 15-7 on the run line in those games.
With a combined run average of 9.4 runs per game, the Milwaukee Brewers have seen their games go over the over/under line of 8.5 runs in 16 of their 24 games this season. The over has hit in their last two games, and they have a 27-17 over/under record on the year.
Bryse Wilson Gets The Start For The Brewers
Bryse Wilson is looking to build off his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision against the Cardinals. In that May 12th start, he went 4 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, 5 hits, and 5 walks. Wilson did give up a homer in that outing. Looking back further, he has made two straight starts without giving up a homer. Wilson has made two quality starts this year and has a record of 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA. Opponents are batting .190 off the right-hander this season. Per nine innings, he has 7.41 strikeouts and 3.97 walks.
Brewers Offense Breakdown
William Contreras has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/26 in his last seven games, including one home run and four RBIs. For the season, he is batting .353 and has gone deep six times, which is 3rd on the team. Rhys Hoskins is also near the top of the league in home runs, but he is batting just .233 for the season.
As a team, the Brewers are 3rd in scoring at 5.2 runs per game. They have been especially good at home, also averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are one of the league’s best-hitting teams, with a team batting average of .259. Not only are they 3rd in home runs, but they are also near the top of the league in on-base percentage and slugging.
The Astros are 20-25 overall this season, and they have won six straight games, which is the longest active winning streak in the AL West. Currently, they trail the Mariners by four games in the AL West and are 3rd in the division. So far, they have been good against other teams in the AL West, putting together a record of 9-5.
At home, the Astros have gone 12-12 this year and are 8-13 on the road. Houston has won five straight games as the home team and are 11-9 as the home favorite this year. As for their overall record as the favorite, the Astros are 15-19. So far, they have an overall series record of 6-7-1 and have won two straight series.
Despite being the favorite in most games, the Astros have not been a good bet on the run line this season, as they are just 19-26. However, they have been better at home, going 11-13 on the run line, compared to 8-13 on the road. Their average run differential is -0.2 runs per game, but they have been much better at home, outscoring opponents by an average of 1.0 run per game.
With a combined run average of 9.3, the Astros have seen their games go over the total in 17 of 25 contests. Their games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs, but when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, the over has gone 4-7. Overall, 57.8% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs.
Justin Verlander Gets The Start For The Astros
Justin Verlander and the Astros are back at home today, and Verlander is coming off a win in his last start. He went 7 innings and struck out 8 batters while giving up just 2 runs on 2 hits. In his first start of the season, he took a loss against the Yankees, but he’s been solid in his last two outings.
Astros Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Astros are the top-hitting team in the league, with a team batting average of .262. They also lead the league in slugging percentage and have the fewest strikeouts in the league. As a team, they are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 10th in the league. At home, they have been even better, averaging 4.9 runs per contest.
Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker have been two of the Astros’ top power threats this season. Altuve is batting .311 with seven homers, and Tucker is hitting .288 with a league-leading 13 home runs. Tucker is also 10th in the league with 29 RBIs. Over his last five games, Alex Bregman is 8/18 with three homers, and he has six RBIs during this stretch.
Brewers vs Astros Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Brewers vs. Astros matchup is that the Astros will pick up a 6-5 win at home. With the Astros being the predicted winner, we would recommend taking them on the money line, where the payout is at -154.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Justin Verlander is projected to finish with seven strikeouts compared to Bryse Wilson, who we have finishing with just three. Wilson is also projected to go six innings, while Verlander is projected to go eight.
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 18, 2024 Astros, Brewers