Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Guardians August 7 Betting Preview

Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Guardians August 7 Betting Preview

Cole Paganelli
2 years ago
3 min read
Guardians pitcher James Karinchak celebrates after striking out Houston's Jose Altuve

After earning a win on Saturday, the Cleveland Guardians (55-52) will look to earn a series split on Sunday as they host the Houston Astros (70-39) in the finale of a four-game MLB series.

The game will be played at Progressive Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

In Saturday’s 4-1 win, Cal Quantrill was fantastic for the Guardians. He went six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out four.

Offensively, the top three in the lineup (Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, and Jose Ramirez) combined to go five for 12 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Myles Straw also had a solid game against his former club, going two for three with a run.

Cleveland’s pitching was able to limit Houston to just six hits. Aledmys Diaz and Jake Meyers had two hits apiece, with Diaz running in Houston’s lone run of the game.

Astros vs. Guardians August 6 Betting Odds

The Astros are the favorites Sunday despite playing on the road. They are -152 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +128. The runline features Cleveland +1.5 (-138), and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

This game will feature a battle of talented 25-year-old righties.

For the Astros, they will send Christian Javier to the mound. In 20 games, he is 6-7 with a 3.24 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and has 128 strikeouts in 94.1 innings. Javier has taken back-to-back losses after giving up a combined five runs in his last 11 innings pitched.

Cleveland will look to Triston McKenzie to win the finale. In 20 games, he is 7-8 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and has 113 strikeouts in 120 innings. McKenzie has also lost back-to-back outings giving up eight runs in his last 12 innings.

Houston Looks For Road Series Win

At 70-39, the Houston Astros have the second-best record in the American League and currently lead the AL West by 12 games. Despite a comfortable lead, the Astros are still trying to rack up the win as they fight for the top AL spot and will look to win their road series Sunday.

Keep an eye on Jose Altuve in this one. Against McKenzie in his career, he is three for six with two solo home runs. Trey Mancini and Alex Bregman have also homered against the righty.

One name that has been absent for the Astros this series is Kyle Tucker. Battling flu symptoms, Tucker will hope to play on Sunday after being scratched from Saturday’s lineup last second. This season, Tucker is hitting .241/.328/.448 with 19 home runs, 67 runs batted in, and 44 runs scored.

Guardians In Thick Of Three-Team Race

Only three games separate the top three teams in the AL Central as the Minnesota Twins, Guardians, and Chicago White Sox all vie for that top spot. Knowing every game is critical to winning the division, the Guardians will look for a series split on Sunday.

Albeit in limited at bats, the Guardians have not hit Christian Javier well in their careers. Collectively, in 19 at bats, the Guardians have just two hits, with no home runs and no runs batted in.

Overall, Jose Ramirez has been the Guardians’ best hitter. In 394 at bats, he is hitting .284/.357/.553 with a team-leading 21 home runs, 87 runs batted in, 61 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases.

Which Offense Can Break Through?

These two starting pitchers are eerily similar. Not only are their overall stats reflective of each other, but they both enter trying to snap two-game losing streaks.

As a result, this one may come down to which offense can produce better. For Houston, they rank 11th in scoring, averaging 4.49 runs per game (4.54 on the road). The Guardians rank 16th, averaging 4.37 runs (4.18 at home).

In terms of trends, the Astros are 4-1 against Cleveland in their last five games overall and 7-1 in their last eight at Progressive Field.

It certainly won’t be easy, but if the Guardians’ offense can break through against Christian Javier like they did against Luis Garcia on Saturday, there is a good chance they can steal the last game and earn a series split.

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