The Cleveland Indians will square off against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. This AL matchup will be nationally televised on ESPN and the opening pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET.
Cleveland Indians vs. Houston Astros Odds
Vegas is listing Houston (-130) as the favorite over Cleveland (+120). Gamblers are able to wager on the games total with odds sitting at even money (+100) for over 7.5 runs and -120 for under 7.5. You can also wager on the games spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at -175 for the Indians +1.5 runs and +155 for the Astros -1.5 runs.
The Indians are 22-22 SU and are 17-26 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 11.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline through the early portions of the year and 12.1 units ATS. Cleveland is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Astros, on the other hand, are 29-18 SU and 25-21 ATS. The team has lost 1.2 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 1.6 units ATS. Houston has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in six of those seven.
Astros games have had an over/under record of 14-29-3 so far in 2018. Cleveland has an over/under record of 22-20-1.
The right-handed Carlos Carrasco is projected to start for the visiting Indians. Carrasco is 5-2 with a 3.66 ERA and 57 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Astros this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Astros will turn to righty Lance McCullers Jr. (5-2, 3.63 ERA), who has 58 punchouts and 21 walks as well as a 1.23 WHIP. McCullers Jr. only made one start against the Indians in 2017 (0-1, 9.00 ERA and five strikeouts across five innings).
Cleveland’s pitching staff allowed 4.4 runs per game and its starters own a 3.41 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 8.43 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 5.73, along with a WHIP of 1.09 and a K-per-9 of 9.32.
The Indians offense has slashed .248/.319/.437 on its way to 4.8 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.7 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 4.6 per game over the teams last five contests (2-3 SU).
Cleveland’s offensive production been led by third baseman Jose Ramirez and shortstop Francisco Lindor, who collectively have swatted 25 home runs. Ramirez is slashing .302/.392/.615 with 13 home runs, 31 RBIs, 29 runs and six steals, while Lindor is hitting .304 with 12 homers, 27 RBIs, 36 runs and five stolen bases.
Lindor taken a step back when hitting righty pitching on the road last season, putting up a slash line of .220/.270/.439 across 241 such plate appearances (compared to his overall season line of .273/.337/.505).
For the home team, Houston’s pitching staff has allowed 2.6 runs per game overall this season. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 2.30, a WHIP of 0.95 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.6. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 2.87, a WHIP of 1.06 and a K/9 of 9.9.
The Houston hitters are putting up 4.6 runs per contest, including 3.6 per game over its last 10 games and 3.2 per game over their last five. The teams hit .230/.275/.379 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Shortstop Carlos Correa and right fielder George Springer have led the Astros batters so far. Correa is slashing .281/.372/.506 with eight home runs, 31 RBIs and 28 runs scored, and Springer’s line sits at .298/.361/.503 with nine homers, 28 RBIs and 34 runs scored.
The Indians have lost 11.4 units and are 10-17 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 13 of those games, compared to 13 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Astros have netted 2.3 units and are 17-13 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The overs hit in nine of those games, as opposed to 19 that’ve cashed the under.
Cleveland Indians at Houston Astros MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Indians, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- Cleveland has recorded 24.5 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 22.6 over its last five.
- The Indians have hit 19 home runs in their last 10 games. The Astros have hit 13 over their last 10.
