The Houston Astros (36-28) will play the 2nd game of a 3-game series against the Cleveland Guardians (30-33) Saturday at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Astros vs. Guardians odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Guardians lead 1-0.
The Astros were unable to defeat the Guardians in a 10-9 loss Friday that lasted until the 14th inning. Houston has lost 4 straight games and is now 5 games back of the Texas Rangers atop the AL West.
On Friday, OF Will Brennan delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Guardians their 3rd consecutive win. Cleveland is 1 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central race.
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Astros at Guardians projected starters
RHP J.P. France vs. RHP Triston McKenzie
France (1-1, 3.44 ERA) makes his 7th start. He has a 1.15 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 7.7 K/9 through 34 IP.
- Has given up 4 or more ER in 2 of his first 6 starts.
- Has surrendered at least 1 HR in 5 straight starts.
McKenzie (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his 2nd start. He has a 0.40 WHIP, 1.8 BB/9 and 18.0 K/9 through 5 IP.
- Made his season debut June 4 at Minnesota Twins: 0 ER on 1 H with 1 BB and 10 K in 5 IP.
- Boasts a 2-1 record with a 2.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 6.6 K/9 in 3 career starts against the Astros.
Astros at Guardians odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:20 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Astros +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Guardians -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Astros +1.5 (-185) | Guardians -1.5 (+150)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Astros at Guardians picks and predictions
Prediction
Guardians 5, Astros 3
Moneyline
With how these teams have been playing recently, the GUARDIANS (-135) are the pick at home in Saturday’s matchup. The Astros are 0-4 in their last 4 games overall and they’ve been the road team in those 4 losses.
Run line/Against the spread
GUARDIANS -1.5 (+150) has solid value with how McKenzie looked in his 1st start of the season. France has been susceptible to the long ball in recent starts, and the Guardians are swinging hot bats right now.
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Over/Under
LEAN OVER 7.5 (-120).
Even with McKenzie on the mound for the Guardians, the Over looks like the ideal way to bet the run total in this game. Cleveland has scored 5-plus runs in 6 of its last 10 contests, including 3 games where it produced 10 or more runs.
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