Cleveland Indians at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks 4/25/2019

Thursday, April 25, 2019
Minute Maid Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Trevor Bauer vs. Gerrit Cole
The Cleveland Indians visit Minute Maid Park on Thursday, April 25, 2019 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Trevor Bauer for the Indians and Gerrit Cole for the Astros.
The opening line for this matchup has Cleveland at +152 and Houston at -162. The Indians have a 11-11-0 over/under record and a 10-12-0 run line mark. The Astros are 9-14-0 against the run line and have a 10-13-0 over/under record.
Valuable Cleveland Indians Betting Trends
The Cleveland Indians are 11-11-0 against the over/under
The Cleveland Indians are 10-12-0 against the run line
Important Houston Astros Betting Trends
The Houston Astros are 10-13-0 against the over/under
The Houston Astros are 9-14-0 against the run line
Key Cleveland Indians Injuries
04/23/19 P Carlos Carrasco Knee is questionable for next start
04/09/19 P Mike Clevinger Back 10-day IL (04/09)
03/27/19 CF Bradley Zimmer Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Danny Salazar Shoulder 60-day IL (03/24)
Key Houston Astros Injuries
03/28/19 P Joe Smith Achilles 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Lance McCullers Jr Elbow 10-day IL (03/25); is out for season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Indians have a 12-10 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 2.20 and a WHIP of 0.98 this season. He has 42 strikeouts over his 32.2 innings pitched and he's given up 19 hits. He's allowed 5.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.72. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.68 and they have given up 70 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the bullpen and they've struck out 70 hitters and walked 28 batters. As a team, Cleveland allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.66. The Indians pitchers collectively have given up 167 base hits and 78 earned runs. They have allowed 21 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Cleveland as a pitching staff has walked 69 batters and struck out 222. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit is 3.48.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Cleveland is hitting .210, good for 29th in the league. The Indians hold a .321 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .300, which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 6.7 hits per game. Carlos Santana is hitting .362 with an on-base percentage of .494. He has 25 hits this season in 69 at bats with 13 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .478 and an OPS+ of 159. Leonys Martin is hitting .253 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .359. He has totaled 20 hits and he has driven in 6 men in 79 at bats. His OPS+ is 104 while his slugging percentage is at .418. The Indians have 148 hits, including 30 doubles and 16 home runs. Cleveland has walked 85 times so far this season and they have struck out 215 times as a unit. They have left 143 men on base and have a team OPS of .621. They score 3.82 runs per contest and have scored a total of 84 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Houston has a 14-9 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.22, Gerrit Cole has a 1-3 record and a 1.19 WHIP. He has 44 strikeouts over the 29.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 26 hits. He's allowing 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.81. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.00 and they have given up 48 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .194 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 76 batters and walked 21 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.7 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.8. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 155 base knocks and 84 earned runs this season. They have given up 25 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 56 hitters and struck out 214 batters. They give up a walk 2.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.06 while their FIP as a staff is 3.55.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .280, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .489 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .355, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.5 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .286 with an OBP of .383. He has 26 hits this year along with 20 RBI in 91 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .571 with an OPS+ of 153. Michael Brantley is hitting .303 this season and he has an OBP of .357. He has collected 27 hits in 89 at bats while driving in 16 runs. He has an OPS+ of 127 and a slugging percentage of .494. The Astros as a unit have 219 base hits, including 45 doubles and 38 homers. Houston has walked 87 times this year and they have struck out on 170 occasions. They have had 170 men left on base and have an OPS of .844. They have scored 4.91 runs per game and totaled 113 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Indians/Astros MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Astros -162
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