Houston Astros vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Pick & Prediction 9/27/24

Both the Astros and Guardians will send a southpaw to the mound on Friday, with Ronel Blanco going for the Astros and Joey Cantillo for the Guardians. First pitch from Progressive Field is set for 7:10 PM ET. MLBN is carrying the TV rights for Friday’s AL matchup.

Cleveland is currently favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -122 compared to the Astros at +103. The over/under line is at 7.5 runs, and the Guardians will be looking to extend their two-game win streak. Houston is 1st in the AL West, while Cleveland is leading the AL Central.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS CLEVELAND GUARDIANS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Houston Astros Moneyline +103

This game will be played at Progressive Field at 7:10 ET on Friday, September 27th.

HOW TO BET THE ASTROS VS GUARDIANS:

• We have the Astros winning by a score of 5 to 4
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Astros to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

Astros Records & Stats

Houston closed out their series vs. the Mariners with a tough 8-1 loss. Heading into the game, the Astros were the +132 underdog on the money line. Things started off well for the Astros, as they got on the board with a run in the 3rd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Mariners scored three times in the top of the 3rd.

Yusei Kikuchi put together a good start for the Astros, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out eight Mariners. However, the Astros’s offense really struggled after their 1st-inning run, and they didn’t score again. Houston was also the victim of some bad luck, as the Mariners scored three runs in the 6th on a play that included a fielding error and a wild pitch.

Houston is currently leading the AL West by four games over the Mariners. The Astros are 86-73 overall and went 29-23 in divisional games. The Astros are looking to bounce back today, as they dropped two of three in their series vs. the Mariners.

At home, the Astros are 46-35 this season, and they have gone 40-38 on the road. As the road underdog, the Astros have gone 16-16 this season, and their overall record in the underdog role is 19-22. So far, they have been good as the favorite, going 67-51.

When the Astros are on the road, they have been a solid bet against the run line, going 43-35. They have an average run margin of +0.2 runs per game when away from home, and their overall run line record is 81-78. They have been a better bet against the run line as an underdog, going 26-15.

The Houston Astros have an over/under record of 65-88 this season, with an average combined run average of 8.6 runs per game. The over/under line for today’s game against the Cleveland Guardians is set at 7.5 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 11-19. Overall, 76.7% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs this season.

Ronel Blanco gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Guardians on the road. So far, he has made 28 starts and has a record of 12-6. Blanco’s ERA for the season is an impressive 2.88, along with a WHIP of 1.10. In his 29 appearances, Blanco has one complete game shutout and 14 quality starts. His most recent outing came on September 21st, where he picked up the win, going six innings and giving up two earned runs. Blanco has won each of his last three outings. Per nine innings, he is averaging 9.04 strikeouts and 3.66 walks.

Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros’ most dangerous hitter this season, leading the team with 35 home runs and 86 RBIs. He is also batting .308, which is the 2nd best mark in the lineup. Alex Bregman has been swinging the bat well of late, going 7/22 in his last six games, with three homers and seven RBIs. For the season, Bregman is batting .256 with 26 homers.

As a team, the Astros are averaging 4.6 runs per game and are one of the league’s top home run-hitting clubs. Overall, they are batting .261, which is the 3rd best mark in the majors. Houston is also near the top of the league in on-base percentage and slugging.

Guardians Records & Stats

Cleveland closed out their series vs. the Reds with a 5-2 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -146. It was a big 1st inning for the Guardians, as they scored their first four runs in the inning. The Reds could only score two runs, both of which came in the 7th.

Andrew Walters got the start for the Guardians but only lasted 1 2/3 innings. He didn’t give up a run, but the Reds pulled him in the 2nd. Cleveland’s offense was carried by José Ramírez, who went 3/4 with a homer and three RBIs.

Cleveland comes into today’s game vs. the Astros having taken two straight games and lead the AL Central by seven games over the Royals. The Guardians are 92-67 overall and have gone 30-22 in divisional games. At home, the Guardians are 50-28 this year and 42-39 on the road.

So far, the Guardians have been favored in 98 of their games, going 64-34 in those games. As the underdog, Cleveland is 28-33 this year. They have won four straight games at home, and their overall series record is 29-16-6.

The Guardians have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 82-77 overall. They’ve been right around .500 at home, with a 39-39 mark, and have covered the run line in three straight games at Progressive Field. They’ve been a better bet on the road, going 43-38 against the run line, and have a scoring margin of +0.4 runs per game away from home.

The Cleveland Guardians are playing at home against the Houston Astros today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The Guardians have had a combined run average of 8.3 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 68-80. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 18-22. Overall, 69.2% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and they are currently on a three-game under streak.

Through seven starts, Joey Cantillo has a record of 2-3 and an ERA of 4.63 for the Guardians. He has made one quality start this year and is coming off an outing in which he didn’t give up an earned run. Against the Rays on September 14th, Cantillo went five innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. He ended up with the win in that outing. Cantillo’s ERA at home is 2.21, compared to 7.48 on the road. So far, he has allowed six homers and is averaging 9.51 strikeouts per nine innings.

Jose Ramirez has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/24 in his last six games, including three home runs and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .279 with a team-high 38 homers and 115 RBIs. Josh Naylor is also a power threat in the lineup, as he is 2nd on the team with 31 homers and is batting .243.

As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. Overall, they are 11th in the league in home runs and have the 16th best team batting average in the MLB.