Astros vs. Guardians Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/24/2022

The Houston Astros (27-16) host the Cleveland Guardians (18-20) at 8:10 PM ET Tuesday for a sluggers’ duel between two of the best home-run hitters in baseball. Yordan Alvarez has racked up 12 homers this season (No. 2 in the league) for the favored Astros which sit as -200 favorites, while Jose Ramirez ranks ninth in the majors with 10 dingers of his own for the underdogs. Houston’s Framber Valdez and Cleveland’s Zach Plesac have been named the starters for this contest.

Astros vs. Guardians Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Astros vs. Guardians

Our computer pick: Cleveland Guardians (+170) and Over (8)

Astros vs. Guardians Game Info

• Houston Astros probable starting pitcher: Framber Valdez
• Cleveland Guardians probable starting pitcher: Zach Plesac
• Game Day: Tuesday, May 24, 2022
• Game Time: 8:10 PM ET
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stadium: Minute Maid Park

Houston Astros vs Cleveland Guardians Pitching Matchup

Astros Starter Framber Valdez

• The Astros are sending Valdez (3-2) to make his ninth start of the season. He is 3-2 with a 2.68 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched.
• In his last appearance on Friday, the left-hander tossed seven innings against the Texas Rangers, allowing one earned run while surrendering six hits.
• In eight games this season, the 28-year-old has amassed a 2.68 ERA and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .230 to opposing batters.
• Valdez is trying to earn his sixth straight quality start in this matchup.
• Valdez is aiming for his sixth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 5.3 innings per appearance on the mound.
• He will face a Guardians offense that ranks 21st in MLB with 317 total hits (on a .246 batting average). The team also slugs a collective .392 (10th in MLB) with 35 total home runs (21st in MLB).
• Among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season, the 28-year-old’s 2.68 ERA ranks 18th, 1.255 WHIP ranks 43rd, and 7.5 K/9 ranks 40th.

Guardians Starter Zach Plesac

• Plesac (1-3) will take to the mound for the Guardians and make his eighth start of the season.
• The right-hander’s last start was on Tuesday, when he tossed six innings while giving up two earned runs on six hits in a matchup with the Cincinnati Reds.
• The 27-year-old has pitched in seven games this season with an ERA of 4.42, a 1.917 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of 1.345.
• In seven starts this season, he’s earned two quality starts.
• Plesac has three starts in a row of five innings or more.
• The Astros rank 12th in MLB with 181 runs scored this season. They have a .229 batting average this campaign with 58 home runs (third in the league).
• The 27-year-old ranks 52nd in ERA (4.42), 52nd in WHIP (1.345), and 59th in K/9 (5.4) among qualified pitchers in the majors this campaign.

Astros Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Astros have won 23 out of the 33 games, or 69.7%, in which they’ve been favored.
• Houston has been at least a -200 moneyline favorite four times this season and won each of those games.
• The bookmakers’ moneyline implies a 66.7% chance of a victory for the Astros.
• So far this season, Houston and its opponents have hit the over in 11 of their 43 games with a total.
• The Astros are 22-21-0 against the spread this season.

Guardians Betting Picks & Insights

• The Guardians have been underdogs in 28 games this season and have come away with the win 13 times (46.4%) in those contests.
• Cleveland has a mark of 1-3 in contests where bookmakers favor them by +170 or worse on the moneyline.
• The Guardians have an implied victory probability of 37% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Cleveland and their opponents have hit the over in 22 of their 42 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
• The Guardians have posted a record of 21-21-0 against the spread this season.

Astros Leaders & Batting Stats

• Alvarez’s 12 round-trippers in 2022 are the most on the Astros. He’s also knocked in 24 runs while hitting .250.
• Among all MLB hitters, Alvarez is 71st in batting average, 37th in on-base percentage, and 11th in slugging.
• Alex Bregman is batting .229 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 26 walks.
• Including all MLB hitters, Bregman ranks 44th in homers and 24th in RBI.
• Bregman has two straight games with at least one hit. During his last five outings he is batting .222 with a double, a home run, two walks and two RBI.
• Kyle Tucker leads the Astros with 26 runs batted in.
• Jose Altuve is batting .282 with six doubles, nine home runs and 11 walks.
• Altuve has recorded at least one hit in two straight games. During his last five outings he is batting .381 with four doubles, two home runs and two RBI.

Guardians Leaders & Batting Stats

• Ramirez leads the squad with a batting average of .287, and leads the Guardians in home runs, with 10 and runs batted in with 41.
• Among all hitters in the big leagues, Ramirez is ninth in homers and first in RBI.
• Myles Straw is hitting .246 with eight doubles, a triple and 23 walks.
• Straw is 324th in home runs and 289th in RBI among all MLB batters this year.
• Owen Miller is hitting .283 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 12 walks.
• Steven Kwan has six doubles, a triple, a home run and 17 walks while hitting .266.

Betting Tips for Astros vs. Guardians

After looking at all of the key statistics and trends for this matchup, our best bet is the Guardians on the moneyline at +170. Our computer prediction sees the scoring going over the total of 8 runs.