Indians at Astros 5/18/18 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Cleveland Indians (21-21, 1st AL Central) visit the Houston Astros (28-17, 1st AL West) on Friday for the opening game of a three-game weekend series.

The Indians snapped a two-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 6-0 win over the Detroit Tigers. Trevor Bauer had 10 strikeouts in eight innings of work for the Indians. The Indians are off on Thursday before traveling to play the Astros.

Houston has won two straight and four of its last five after beating the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday 2-0. Justin Verlander threw a five hit shutout and a two-run home run by Evan Gattis was all the offense the Astros needed. Houston is off on Thursday as well. Michael Brantley leads Cleveland with a .338 batting average. Jose Ramirez is the team leader in home runs with 13 and RBIs with 30. Cleveland has a team batting average of .249, while opposing hitters are averaging .235 at the plate against Indians pitching. On Friday, Cleveland will send Mike Clevinger to the mound. The right-hander this season is 3-0 with an ERA of 2.70, 44 Ks and 14 BBs.

Jose Altuve leads Houston with a .309 batting average and team high 56 hits. George Springer leads the team in home runs with eight, while Carlos Correa leads in RBIs with 39. Houston has a team batting average of .252 while opposing hitters are averaging .196 at the plate against Astros pitching. On Friday, the Astros will send Charlie Morton to the mound. The right-hander on the season is 5-0 with an ERA of 2.03, 62 Ks and 17 BBs.