Cleveland Indians at Houston Astros 5/20/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Carlos Carrasco vs. Lance McCullers

The Cleveland Indians visit Minute Maid Park on Sunday, May 20, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Carlos Carrasco for the Indians and Lance McCullers for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Cleveland at +120 and Houston at -130. The Indians have a 22-20-1 over/under record and a 17-26-0 run line mark. The Astros are 25-21-0 against the run line and have a 14-29-3 over/under record.

Valuable Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 22-20-1 against the over/under

The Cleveland Indians are 17-26-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 14-29-3 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 25-21-0 against the run line

Key Cleveland Indians Injuries

05/15/18 CF Bradley Zimmer Chest 10-day DL (05/12)
05/13/18 CF Tyler Naquin Hamstring 10-day DL (05/12)
05/04/18 P Danny Salazar Shoulder 60-day DL (03/26)
05/03/18 P Nick Goody Elbow 10-day DL (05/03)
04/08/18 RF Lonnie Chisenhall Calf 10-day DL (04/08)
03/26/18 P Cody Anderson Elbow 60-day DL (02/25)
03/26/18 P Ryan Merritt Knee 60-day DL (03/26)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

05/18/18 RF Josh Reddick Leg is "?" Saturday vs Cleveland Indians
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Indians have a 21-22 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco has a 5-2 record with an earned run average of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.05 this season. He has 57 strikeouts over his 59 innings pitched and he's given up 49 hits. He's allowed 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.47. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.68 and they have given up 115 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the bullpen and they've struck out 115 hitters and walked 45 batters. As a team, Cleveland allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.07. The Indians pitchers collectively have given up 354 base hits and 177 earned runs. They have allowed 59 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Cleveland as a pitching staff has walked 112 batters and struck out 374. They have walked 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.19 and their FIP as a unit is 4.17.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cleveland is hitting .249, good for 14th in the league. The Indians hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Jose Ramirez is hitting .295 with an on-base percentage of .384. He has 49 hits this season in 166 at bats with 30 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .608 and an OPS+ of 158. Francisco Lindor is hitting .306 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .379. He has totaled 55 hits and he has driven in 27 men in 180 at bats. His OPS+ is 151 while his slugging percentage is at .583. The Indians have 376 hits, including 79 doubles and 65 home runs. Cleveland has walked 139 times so far this season and they have struck out 371 times as a unit. They have left 302 men on base and have a team OPS of .753. They score 4.84 runs per contest and have scored a total of 208 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 29-17 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.63, Lance McCullers has a 5-2 record and a 1.23 WHIP. He has 58 strikeouts over the 52 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 43 hits. He's allowing 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.05. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.89 and they have given up 94 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .219 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 128 batters and walked 29 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.5 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.41. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 290 base knocks and 110 earned runs this season. They have given up 36 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 111 hitters and struck out 478 batters. They give up a walk 2.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 0.98 while their FIP as a staff is 2.86.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 10th in the league. The Astros hold a .407 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this matchup batting .282 with an OBP of .374. He has 44 hits this year along with 29 RBI in 156 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .494 with an OPS+ of 144. Jose Altuve is hitting .308 this season and he has an OBP of .361. He has collected 57 hits in 185 at bats while driving in 20 runs. He has an OPS+ of 119 and a slugging percentage of .411. The Astros as a unit have 392 base hits, including 87 doubles and 48 homers. Houston has walked 163 times this year and they have struck out on 382 occasions. They have had 321 men left on base and have an OPS of .735. They have scored 4.65 runs per game and totaled 214 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Indians/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Indians +120

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