The Cleveland Guardians (54-52) host the Houston Astros (70-38) in the third game of their four-game series at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 pm ET.

The Astros dominated Friday's game 9-3, with Trey Mancini hitting two home runs including a grand slam. Framber Valdez continued his impressive streak with an 18th consecutive quality start.

Game Odds:

• Astros: -162 (favorite)
• Guardians: +136
• Run line: Cleveland +1.5 (-128)
• Over/Under: 9 runs

Pitching Matchup:

• Astros: Luis Garcia (8-7, 3.81 ERA, 112 K)
• Guardians: Cal Quantrill (7-5, 4.08 ERA, 75 K)

Key Stats:

• Astros road record: 36-21
• Yordan Alvarez: .306/.412/.650, 30 HR, 73 RBI
• Josh Naylor vs RHP: .300, 13 HR, 43 RBI
• Jose Ramirez vs Garcia: 2-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Analysis: Both starting pitchers have struggled recently - Garcia allowing 7 runs in his last 12.2 innings and Quantrill giving up 9 earned runs in his last 11.1 innings. The Guardians need a win to maintain their AL Central lead with pressure from the Twins and White Sox. While Houston's pitching has been dominant, their offense is heating up after scoring 9 runs on Friday.

The Guardians will look to take advantage of Garcia's recent inconsistency, while trying to contain an Astros lineup that's finding its rhythm. Cleveland must generate more offense after struggling in the first two games of the series.

Related Articles

Previous Articles