In this article we will formulate a Houston Astros vs Cleveland Guardians prediction for this MLB game on Wednesday, May 1st at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game two in this series.
Houston is Warming Up
The Houston Astros are 10-19 this season and they have won three games in a row. Houston won game one in this series by a score of 10-9 in extra innings on Tuesday night. Prior to that series, the Astros swept a two game series with Colorado and were swept the Cubs in three games. Houston has really struggled this season, but they have won three games in a row and they are trying to get on a roll. The Astros are last in the AL West, but are closing the gap on the Angels and Athletics.
The Houston pitching staff has a 5.01 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, and a .257 opponent batting average. The Astros offense has scored 132 runs with a .265 batting average and a .330 on base percentage. Kyle Tucker is batting .300 with seven home runs and 20 RBI’s for the Astros this season. Houston is just 27th in team ERA and they are 16th in runs scored.
Guardians Starting to Skid
The Cleveland Guardians are 19-10 this year and they have lost three of their last four games. Prior to losing the first game in this series, Cleveland lost two out of three against Atlanta, won two out of three against Boston, and swept the Athletics in three games. The Guardians have been one of the best teams in the MLB through 29 games and they are currently leading the AL Central by two games over Kansas City.
The Cleveland pitching staff has a 3.41 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a .231 opponent batting average. The Guardians offense has scored 152 runs with a .248 batting average and a .321 on base percentage. Josh Naylor is batting .282 with seven home runs and 24 RBI’s for the Guardians this season. Cleveland has been very solid with their pitching staff, but their hitting has been very much improved from 2023. Cleveland has allowed at least six runs in three of their last six games, so that is something to watch.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Houston is Justin Verlander, who is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP over 10.1 innings pitched this year. Verlander has allowed two earned runs and seven hits over 10.1 innings against the Cubs and Nationals so far this year. The projected starting pitcher for Cleveland is Triston McKenzie, who is 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP over 22.0 innings pitched this season. McKenzie has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last four starts, but did allow five earned runs against New York three starts ago.
Houston Astros Team Facts
- The Astros have lost each of their last eight night games following a home win.
- The Astros have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 12 night games at Minute Maid Park following a win.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Astros’ last eight games.
- The Astros have trailed after 3 innings in eight of their last 12 games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Astros have trailed after 5 innings in eight of their last 12 games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
Cleveland Guardians Team Facts
- The Guardians have lost each of their last six games at Minute Maid Park.
- The Guardians have covered the run line in 12 of their last 13 games as underdogs following a road loss.
- The Guardians have led after 5 innings in four of their last five games as underdogs against AL West opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Guardians’ last three night games against AL West opponents.
Houston Astros vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction
Houston comes into this game with some positive momentum, which is something that they haven’t had much of so far this season. The Astros have won three games in a row and their offense has scored 30 runs in their last three games. Cleveland has one of the best records in baseball right now, but they have struggled over the last week. The Guardians are going with McKenzie, while Houston is turning to Verlander. JV has been very solid through two starts this season, while McKenzie has pitched well in his last four starts. I think the pitchers are going to shine in this matchup and my Houston Astros vs Cleveland Guardians prediction is for this game to go under the total.