In our MLB predictions for Thursday, August 4, we are breaking down the American League battle from Progressive Field in Cleveland to bring you the best Astros vs Guardians betting pick and odds. Houston and Cleveland start a four-game series, and the Astros are listed as firm road favorites to take the first blood.ย ย
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Astros vs Guardians Betting Pick
This game will be played at Progressive Field at 7:10 PM ET on Thursday, August 4, 2022.
Why Bet The Astros:
โ Justin Verlander will take the mound for Houston, and the 39-year-old right-hander is 14-3 with a microscopic 1.81 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 19 starts (124 innings pitched) in 2022. Verlander will search for his seventh straight win. Heโs registered a ridiculous 0.86 ERA over his previous six appearances and 41.2 innings of work.ย
โ Zach Plesac will get the starting call for Cleveland, and the current Astros lineup is 14-for-40 with 11 RBI against him. Plesac struggled in July, posting a 0-4 record with a pedestrian 5.84 ERA across 24.2 innings (five starts). The 27-year-old holds a disappointing 2-9 record along with a 4.33 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, and 79/28 K/BB ratio in 19 starts and 104 innings of work in 2022.
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โ The Astrosโ bullpen continues to dominate and carries a firm 2.74 ERA into this series. Over the last ten days, Houstonโs relievers have tossed 24.1 innings, compiling a solid 3.33 ERA, 12.2 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and .283 BABIP.ย
Houston Astros
The 68-38 Astros snapped a two-game skid on Wednesday afternoon. They beat the Red Sox 6-1 to avoid a sweep in front of the home fans, while Jose Urquidy fanned ten across seven scoreless innings. Trey Mancini homered in his first start for the Astros, who finished with 12 hits on the night.
Houston has gone 9-6 since the All-Star break, scoring 67 runs on a .250/.310/.437 triple-slash. Yordan Alvarez is 12-for-42 with four home runs and four doubles in his last 14 appearances; Jose Altuve is 18-for-59 with a couple of homers through his previous 15 games, while Alex Bregman has two dingers, five doubles, and 10 RBIs in his last 50 at-bats.
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians outlasted the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-4 on Wednesday afternoon to clinch a three-game interleague series at Progressive Field. Amed Rosario launched a 450-foot three-run homer, Shane Bieber whiffed eight across six frames of a two-run ball, and the Guardians improved to 54-50 on the season.
Cleveland is 8-6 in the second half of the season. The Guardians have accounted for 503 runs in that 14-game stretch while slashing .270/.324/.414. Their bullpen has been outstanding in the last ten days, tallying a 1.05 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, and .264 BABIP through 34.1 frames of work.