Indians vs. Astros Thursday Prediction
The Indians and Astros will start a new series in Houston on Thursday night with Game 1 set for 8:10 p.m. ET. Listed as a significant underdog despite having their best pitcher on the mound, do the Indians carry value for bettors tonight?
Game Snapshot & Odds
911 Cleveland Indians (+143) at 912 Houston Astros (-155); 7.5 runs
Thursday, April 25, 2019
8:10 p.m. ET, Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
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Public Betting Trends
According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 58% of the betting tickets are on the Astros to beat the Indians on the moneyline.
Cleveland Indians Fantasy Spin
Jose Ramirez carried the Indians in their 6-2 win over the Marlins on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, four RBI, and a stolen base. Wednesday was basically Jose Ramirez Day. He took Sandy Alcantara deep for a solo shot in the first and knocked in a run with a single in his next at-bat before delivering a huge two-run double for insurance during a four-run eighth for the Tribe. We haven’t seen a day like this from Ramirez so far this season. Even after Wednesday’s explosion, he’s batting just .184/.265/.299 on the year. But a day like this one showed why most fantasy owners should keep the faith.
Houston Astros Fantasy Spin
Michael Brantley went 2-for-3 and hit his fifth homer Wednesday in the defeat of the Twins. The Indians could really use Brantley back right about now, but they were too cheap to ante up. He’s hit .315/.373/.532 with 18 RBI for his new team.
MLB Betting Trends
Cleveland
The Indians have lost four of their last five games against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Houston
The Astros are 6-2 in their last eight games versus the Indians overall.
Prediction:
The Astros have had plenty of recent success versus the Indians…unless Trevor Bauer pitches for the Tribe. The Indians are a perfect 8-0 in Bauer’s last eight starts versus the Astros, on top of being 9-4 in his last 13 starts overall. Cleveland has also won six of Bauer’s last eight road starts and is 29-14 in his last 43 outings when he’s coming off a Quality Start in his last appearance. While Gerrit Cole has been sensational for the Astros since the club acquired him from Pittsburgh last year, he was touched for eight earned runs in his last start, which came in Arlington on April 20. While it’s highly unlikely that Cole pitches two horrible games in a row, there’s too much value to pass on Bauer and the Indians tonight.
The Pick: Cleveland Indians +143