Astros vs. Guardians Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 8/5/2022

The Houston Astros (69-38) are -202 favorites when they meet the Cleveland Guardians (54-51) on Friday at 7:10 PM ET. Jose Altuve has 97 hits on the season and will hope to hit his milestone 100th once the game begins at Progressive Field. Houston’s Framber Valdez gets the start, and he’ll go against Cleveland’s Hunter Gaddis.

Astros vs. Guardians Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Astros vs. Guardians

We have the Guardians on the moneyline at +163 on the moneyline as our best bet in this game after taking a look at all of the key stats and trends for this matchup. Our computer picks see the scoring going over the total of 8.5 runs.

Our computer pick: Cleveland Guardians (+163) and Over (8.5)

Astros vs. Guardians Game Info

• Houston Astros probable starting pitcher: Framber Valdez
• Cleveland Guardians probable starting pitcher: Hunter Gaddis
• Game Day: Friday, August 5, 2022
• Game Time: 7:10 PM ET
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: Progressive Field

Houston Astros vs Cleveland Guardians Pitching Matchup

Astros Starter Framber Valdez

• The Astros are sending Valdez (9-4) to make his 21st start of the season as he goes for his 10th victory. He is 9-4 with a 2.80 ERA and 117 strikeouts through 128 2/3 innings pitched.
• The lefty last appeared on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners, when he went seven innings, allowing three earned runs while giving up five hits.
• The 28-year-old has an ERA of 2.80, with 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings, in 20 games this season. Opposing hitters have a .214 batting average against him.
• Valdez is aiming to register his 18th quality start in a row in this game.
• Valdez will try to build on an 18-game streak of pitching five or more innings (he’s averaging 6.1 innings per outing).
• He will take the mound against a Guardians squad that is hitting .251 as a unit (eighth in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .386 (19th in MLB) with 84 total home runs (29th in MLB).
• Valdez has pitched seven innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits while striking out four against the Guardians this season.
• The 28-year-old ranks 12th in ERA (2.80), 26th in WHIP (1.127), and 33rd in K/9 (8.2) among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season.

Guardians Starter Hunter Gaddis

• Gaddis will make his first start of the season for the Guardians.
• This will be the first MLB start for the 24-year-old right-hander.
• The Astros are batting .241 this season, 17th in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .424 (fifth in the league) with 149 home runs.

Astros Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Astros have been favored 91 times and won 62, or 68.1%, of those games.
• Houston is 14-11 this season when entering a game favored by -202 or more on the moneyline.
• Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Astros have a 66.9% chance to win.
• So far this season, Houston and its opponents have hit the over in 38 of their 108 games with a total.
• The Astros have an ATS record of 56-52-0 in 108 games with a spread this season.

Guardians Betting Picks & Insights

• The Guardians have been victorious in 27, or 44.3%, of the 61 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
• Cleveland has a mark of 3-6 in contests where sportsbooks favor them by +163 or worse on the moneyline.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Guardians have a 38% chance of walking away with the win.
• Cleveland and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 54 of their 113 opportunities.
• The Guardians are 59-54-0 against the spread in their 113 games that had a posted line this season.

Astros Leaders & Batting Stats

• Yordan Alvarez paces the Astros in home runs (30), runs batted in (72) and has a team-high batting average of .304.
• Of all hitters in the majors, Alvarez is third in home runs and seventh in RBI.
• Kyle Tucker has 16 doubles, 19 home runs and 47 walks while hitting .241.
• Of all MLB hitters, Tucker is 28th in home runs and 12th in RBI.
• Alex Bregman has 25 doubles, 13 home runs and 57 walks while hitting .247.
• Bregman has at least one base hit in three games in a row. During his last five outings he is hitting .294 with a double, three walks and an RBI.
• Altuve has 22 doubles, 19 home runs and 40 walks while batting .283.
• Altuve is riding a three-game hitting streak into this one. During his last five outings he is hitting .500 with three doubles and two walks.

Guardians Leaders & Batting Stats

• Jose Ramirez paces the Guardians with 21 long balls and runs batted in, driving in 86.
• In all of MLB, Ramirez ranks 18th in homers and third in RBI.
• Amed Rosario is hitting .290 with 19 doubles, six triples, six home runs and 20 walks.
• Rosario is currently 197th in homers and 103rd in RBI in the big leagues.
• Steven Kwan has racked up a team-high batting average of .297.
• Andres Gimenez leads the team in batting average with a high-water mark of .297.