The Cleveland Indians are squaring off against the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the AL Divisional Playoffs. The series officially gets going at 2:05 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on TBS.
Cleveland Indians vs. Houston Astros Odds
Houston (-140) is the favorite over Cleveland (+130) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this one at seven runs (-125 for the over and +105 for the under). Gamblers can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at -170 for the Indians +1.5 runs and +150 for the Astros -1.5 runs.
In the regular season, the Indians went 91-71 SU and 76-86 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 24.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 22.1 units ATS. The Astros, on the other hand, are 103-59 SU and 83-79 ATS. The team has lost 2.7 units for moneyline bettors and 5.6 units ATS.
Astros games have an over/under record of 70-84-8 in 2018. The Indians have an over/under record of 77-75-10.
Corey Kluber will get the start for the visiting Indians. The right-handed Kluber (20-7, 2.89 ERA) has recorded 222 strikeouts in 214 innings so far. He’s 1-0 with 17 strikeouts and a 1.35 ERA against Houston this year (two starts).
The Astros are turning to righty Justin Verlander (16-9, 2.52 ERA), who has 290 strikeouts and 37 walks as well as a WHIP of 0.90. Verlander has yet to face the Indians this year, but he made four starts against them in 2017, compiling a 1-3 record with an 8.14 ERA.
Cleveland’s pitchers have allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 9.66 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.60, along with a WHIP of 1.14.
The Indians offense has slashed .259/.334/.434 on its way to 5.0 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.3 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 6.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Shortstop Francisco Lindor and left fielder Michael Brantley continue to lead Cleveland’s offense. Lindor is slashing .277/.352/.519 with 38 home runs, 92 RBIs, 129 runs and 25 stolen bases, while Brantley is hitting .309 with 17 homers, 76 RBIs and 89 runs scored.
For the home team, Houston’s pitching staff has allowed 3.3 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starters have an ERA of 3.16, a WHIP of 1.12 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.4. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 3.03, a WHIP of 1.06 and a K/9 of 10.6.
The Houston offense is putting up 4.9 runs per contest, including 4.8 per game over its last 10 games and 2.4 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .189/.271/.314 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Third baseman Alex Bregman and second baseman Jose Altuve have led the Astros’ hitters this year. Bregman is slashing .286/.394/.532 with 31 home runs, 103 RBIs and 105 runs scored, while Altuve’s line sits at .316/.386/.451 with 13 homers, 61 RBIs, 84 runs and 17 stolen bases.
The Indians have lost 16.4 units and are 57-62 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 57 of those games, compared to 56 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Astros have netted 4.4 units and are 54-48 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 43 of those games, compared to 54 that went under.
Cleveland Indians vs. Houston Astros Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Indians, O/U – UNDER
