Indians at Astros ALDS Game 1 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, October 5, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Corey Kluber vs. Justin Verlander

The Cleveland Indians head to Minute Maid Park on Friday to take on the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the ALDS. The expected starting pitchers are Corey Kluber for the Indians and Justin Verlander for the Astros.

The odds for this matchup have Cleveland at +125 and Houston at -135. The Indians have a 76-75-11 over/under mark and a 75-87-0 run line record. The Astros are 83-79-0 against the run line and have a 69-84-9 over/under record.

Valuable Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 76-75-11 against the over/under

The Cleveland Indians are 75-87-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 69-84-9 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 83-79-0 against the run line

Key Cleveland Indians Injuries

08/09/18 CF Leonys Martin Illness 60-day DL (08/09)
07/28/18 CF Tyler Naquin Hip 60-day DL (07/28)
07/04/18 RF Lonnie Chisenhall Calf 60-day DL (07/03)
06/20/18 P Evan Marshall Elbow 10-day DL (06/20)
05/04/18 P Danny Salazar Shoulder 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Cody Anderson Elbow 60-day DL (02/25)
03/26/18 P Ryan Merritt Knee 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

05/21/18 LF Derek Fisher Intestinal 10-day DL (05/20)
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Indians have a 91-71 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Corey Kluber has a 20-7 record with an earned run average of 2.89 and a WHIP of 0.99 this year. He has 222 strikeouts over his 215 innings pitched and he's given up 179 hits. He allows 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.13. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.60 and they have given up 456 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen and they've struck out 478 hitters and walked 163 batters. As a team, Cleveland allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.5 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.77. The Indians pitchers collectively have given up 1,349 base hits and 611 earned runs. They have allowed 200 home runs this season, ranking them 8th in the league. Cleveland as a pitching staff has walked 407 batters and struck out 1,544. They have walked 2.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.21 and their FIP as a unit is 3.79.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cleveland is hitting .259, good for 2nd in the league. The Indians hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 8.9 hits per game. Jason Kipnis is hitting .230 with an on-base percentage of .315. He has 122 hits this season in 530 at bats with 75 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .389 and an OPS+ of 89. Francisco Lindor is hitting .277 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .352. He has totaled 183 hits and he has driven in 92 men in 661 at bats. His OPS+ is 131 while his slugging percentage is at .519. The Indians have 1,448 hits, including 298 doubles and 216 home runs. Cleveland has walked 554 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,189 times as a unit. They have left 1,147 men on base and have a team OPS of .767. They score 5.05 runs per contest and have scored a total of 818 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 103-59 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.52, Justin Verlander has a 16-9 record and a 0.90 WHIP this season. He has 290 strikeouts over the 214 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 156 hits. He allows 6.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.78. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.03 and they have given up 393 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 586 batters and walked 137 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.11. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,164 base knocks and 503 earned runs this season. They have given up 152 home runs this year, which ranks 29th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 435 hitters and struck out 1,687 batters. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.10 while their FIP as a staff is 3.24.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 7th in the league. The Astros hold a .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .315 with an OBP of .384. He has 168 hits this year along with 61 RBI in 534 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .449 with an OPS+ of 132. Carlos Correa is hitting .239 this season and he has an OBP of .323. He has collected 96 hits in 402 at bats while driving in 65 runs. He has an OPS+ of 102 and a slugging percentage of .405. The Astros as a unit have 1,389 base hits, including 278 doubles and 205 homers. Houston has walked 565 times this year and they have struck out on 1,197 occasions. They have had 1,052 men left on base and have an OPS of .754. They have scored 4.92 runs per game and totaled 797 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros -135

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