Cleveland Guardians (18-20, third in the AL Central) vs. Houston Astros (27-16, first in the AL West)
Houston; Tuesday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Zach Plesac (1-3, 4.42 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 23 strikeouts); Astros: Framber Valdez (3-2, 2.68 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 39 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -200, Guardians +170; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Guardians lead 1-0 in a three-game series against the Houston Astros.
Houston is 12-6 in home games and 27-16 overall. The Astros are 18-3 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.
Cleveland has gone 8-8 at home and 18-20 overall. The Guardians have a 16-3 record in games when they record at least eight hits.
The teams square off Tuesday for the second time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has six doubles, seven home runs and 26 RBI for the Astros. Jose Altuve is 12-for-34 with five doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games.
Jose Ramirez has 10 home runs, 22 walks and 41 RBI while hitting .287 for the Guardians. Amed Rosario is 14-for-41 with two doubles, a triple and three RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 5-5, .249 batting average, 3.41 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs
Guardians: 4-6, .216 batting average, 3.66 ERA, even run differential
INJURIES: Astros: Jake Odorizzi: 15-Day IL (leg), Taylor Jones: 60-Day IL (back), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jacob Meyers: 10-Day IL (shoulder)
Guardians: Aaron Civale: day-to-day (leg), James Karinchak: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Carlos Vargas: 60-Day IL (undisclosed), Cody Morris: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
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