Houston Astros (69-38, first in the AL West) vs. Cleveland Guardians (54-51, second in the AL Central)
Cleveland; Friday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Framber Valdez (9-4, 2.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 117 strikeouts); Guardians: Hunter Gaddis (0-0)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -202, Guardians +163; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros meet the Cleveland Guardians leading the series 1-0.
Cleveland has a 54-51 record overall and a 27-21 record at home. The Guardians have a 38-2 record in games when they scored five or more runs.
Houston is 35-21 in road games and 69-38 overall. The Astros have a 36-5 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.
Friday's game is the fifth time these teams meet this season. The Astros have a 3-1 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jose Ramirez has 34 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs and 86 RBI for the Guardians. Amed Rosario is 12-for-46 with a double, two home runs and eight RBI over the past 10 games.
Alex Bregman has 25 doubles and 13 home runs for the Astros. Aledmys Diaz is 10-for-32 with a double and three home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Guardians: 6-4, .241 batting average, 4.10 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs
Astros: 5-5, .249 batting average, 2.53 ERA, outscored opponents by 17 runs
INJURIES: Guardians: Anthony Gose: 60-Day IL (tricep), Aaron Civale: 15-Day IL (wrist), Cody Morris: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Astros: Kyle Tucker: day-to-day (illness), Jason Castro: 60-Day IL (knee), Blake Taylor: 60-Day IL (elbow), Michael Brantley: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Josh James: 60-Day IL (lat), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (forearm)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
