Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Guardians MLB Betting Preview | August 4

Justin Verlander’s Houston Astros (68-38) are favored on the moneyline (-187) against the Cleveland Guardians (54-50), who are at +160, on Thursday as he attempts to collect his 15th victory of the campaign. The contest starts at 7:10 PM ET. Verlander takes the mound first for Houston, and Zach Plesac is Cleveland’s pick to start.

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Game Info, Betting Lines for Astros vs. Guardians

• Game Day: Thursday, August 4, 2022
• Game Time: 7:10 PM ET
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: Progressive Field

Astros Stats & Trends

Astros Batting

• The Astros average 1.4 home runs per game to rank third in MLB action with 147 total home runs.
• The Astros’ .241 batting average ranks 17th in MLB.
• The Astros rank 12th in baseball with a .317 on-base percentage.
• Astros hitters strike out 7.5 times per game, the fourth-fewest strikeouts in the league.
• The Astros have hit 75 home runs on the road this season (1.4 per game).
• The Astros have a .412 slugging percentage and are averaging 3.3 extra-base hits per game on the road.
• The team averages eight hits per game and is batting .234 on the road this season.

Astros Key Batters

• Yordan Alvarez has 94 hits and an OBP of .409, both of which rank first among Houston hitters this season.
• Among the qualified hitters in baseball, Alvarez’s batting average ranks 13th, his on-base percentage ranks third, and he is second in slugging.
• Kyle Tucker has 16 doubles, 19 home runs and 47 walks while hitting .241.
• Among qualifying batters, Tucker’s batting average places him 110th, his on-base percentage 79th, and his slugging percentage 59th.
• Alex Bregman has collected 89 base hits, an OBP of .353 and a slugging percentage of .424 this season.
• Bregman heads into this game with two games in a row with at least one hit. In his last five games he is hitting .353 with two doubles, three walks and four RBI.
• Jose Altuve has been key for Houston with 95 hits, an OBP of .365 plus a slugging percentage of .510.
• Altuve takes a two-game hitting streak into this game. In his last five games he is hitting .450 with three doubles, two walks and an RBI.

Guardians Stats & Trends

Guardians Batting

• The Guardians have hit just 84 homers this season, which ranks 29th in the league.
• The Guardians rank sixth in MLB with a .252 team batting average.
• The Guardians have the 14th-ranked on-base percentage in MLB this season (.315).
• The Guardians have the fewest strikeouts in MLB, whiffing only seven times per game on average.
• They have averaged 0.6 home runs per game in their 47 home contests this season.
• They are slugging .370 in 47 home games this season.
• They are averaging 8.2 base hits per game and batting .250 as a team at home this season.

Guardians Key Batters

• Jose Ramirez has totaled 109 hits, a team-best for the Guardians.
• Including all the qualifying hitters in MLB, Ramirez is 33rd in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage and seventh in slugging percentage.
• Ramirez heads into this game on a two-game hitting streak. In his last five games he is hitting .238 with two doubles, two walks and three RBI.
• Amed Rosario leads his team with a .414 slugging percentage.
• Including all qualified hitters, Rosario ranks 28th in batting average, 79th in on-base percentage and 86th in slugging percentage.
• Steven Kwan has accumulated a team-best .370 on-base percentage.
• Andres Gimenez is batting .301 with 17 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 19 walks.

Astros vs. Guardians Probable Pitchers