Keagan Smith gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today\u2019s game between the Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros on Friday\u2019s MLB slate.<\/p>\n
The next few weeks will prove crucial for both the Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros. The Guards just lost Jose Ramirez and another talented bat, and they\u2019re fighting tooth and nail to stay around the top of the AL Central. Meanwhile, the Stros have showed surprising promise over the last month with 15 wins in their last 25 games as they fight their way back from below .500 in a weak division.<\/p>\n
As the new series begins tonight at 8:10 p.m. ET, here\u2019s a betting prediction and pick for this Guardians vs. Astros matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.<\/p>\n
Guardians vs. Astros prediction, preview<\/p>\n
Cleveland Guardians<\/p>\n
The Guardians got their 40th win of the year in their last contest and are no 40-35 overall. However, they still have a -7 run differential and a 4-6 record in their last 10 games, so there\u2019s clearly work to be done. With just 3.97 runs per game, Cleveland averages the fourth fewest in baseball. The team\u2019s OPS sits at .685, fourth-to-last, with a .229\/.315\/.370 slash line. Against right-handers like the one the club faces today, the Guardians have a .224\/.310\/.369 line for an OPS of .679, which is slightly worse than their numbers against southpaws. The Guardians also have just 70 home runs and an ISO of .141 that sits 26th, and a .271 BABIP is pretty rough, too. An already uninspiring offense may take an even greater hit with both Ramirez and Chase DeLauter out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, so it may be a rough few weeks coming up. If nothing else, an 0.50 BB\/K ratio is a quality mark behind a 10.4% BB% and 21.0% K%, both top-10 numbers.<\/p>\n
RHP Tanner Bibee starts tonight with a 2-7 record in 15 games. That poor record doesn\u2019t fall entirely on him, though, since he holds a 3.96 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 71 Ks across 84.0 IP. His whiff and walk rates are above average, but he\u2019s allowed high average exit velocity when he does get hit. The bullpen behind him is one of the MLB\u2019s better units though, ranking 11th in ERA at 3.66 with a 1.28 WHIP and 16.8% K-BB%.<\/p>\n
Houston Astros<\/p>\n
Writing off the Astros may have been a bit premature. While still just 35-41 on the year with a -41 run differential, the club has weathered injuries and is now almost entirely whole. As mentioned in the intro, they\u2019ve won 15 of their last 25 and are also 5-5 over the last 10 with a chance to continue building now that Hunter Brown is back in the rotation and Yainer Diaz is back at catcher. Houston averages 4.53 runs a night and has an OPS of .730 that ranks 11th in baseball. The slash line is .243\/.318\/.412 and is practically identical against RHP in particular at .243\/.321\/.408 for a .728 OPS. A .282 BABIP isn\u2019t great, but with 99 home runs and a .169 ISO, the Astros have some power upside to make up for it. In terms of plate process, they have an 8.9% BB% and a 21.6% K% as well. When fully healthy, this is a high-upside unit that can\u2019t be written off.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s RHP Tatsuya Imai as the starter tonight. The Japanese hurler has a 3-3 record with a 6.43 ER, 1.51 WHIP and 37 Ks in 35.0 IP. He brings a high ceiling but hasn\u2019t accessed it often, delivering hot-and-cold performances so far and struggling greatly with his control at 15.3% on the BB%. The Astros\u2019 bullpen has continued to improve, posting a 2.53 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over the last month after ranking 25th on the year at 4.72 with a 1.39 WHIP and 10.1% K-BB%.<\/p>\n
Guardians vs. Astros pick, best bet<\/p>\n
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Astros as -131 Moneyline favorites at home today. The Guardians are underdogs at +108 odds to win outright with the run total set at 8.5.<\/p>\n