The MLB Playoff races continue to heat up throughout the league, and there are some great matchups taking place this week. The Miami Marlins host the Houston Astros in one such game on Monday, and both teams are playing good baseball.
Houston dropped a game on Sunday to the Los Angeles Angels, but they are still coming into this game at 68-51. The Astros are still in second place in the AL West, but they are closing the gap on the Texas Rangers in a hurry.
Miami comes into this game at 62-57 on the season, and they are very much alive for a Wild Card berth in the National League. The Marlins still have some work to do if they want to reach the postseason, but playing well in this series would help.
The Houston Astros are the moneyline betting favorites at -145 over the Miami Marlins in the series opener.
Astros Loaded With Pitching
The Houston Astros believe that they have a starting rotation that can win them a World Series, and they enter this game with a team ERA of just 3.77. Framber Valdez will be starting in this game, and he is one of the best in the game.
Valdez just threw a no-hitter two starts ago, and he comes into this game with a record of 9-7 to go along with an ERA of just 3.30. Not only does Houston have a great starting rotation, but this offense can do big things as well.
Kyle Tucker leads the team with 22 home runs and 88 RBIs, but Yordan Alvarez is a star on offense as well. The Astros have belted 153 home runs this season, which is 42 more than the Marlins.
Miami Starting to Score
The Miami Marlins just scored five runs in the 9th inning to stun the New York Yankees on Sunday, and this team is starting to score more runs. The addition of Jake Burger has given this team new life on offense, but they have to find more power.
Jorge Soler leads the way with 28 home runs this season, but there isn’t a ton of other power threats. Luis Arraez is leading the NL with a .367 batting average, but there are still some holes in that lineup.
Braxton Garrett will be on the mound in this game, and he has gone 6-3 with a 4.08 ERA on the year. The Marlins are going to have to pitch well in this series if they are going to stay close in each game.
Houston Blasts Off in Miami
Both of these teams have been playing well this week, and that should set up for a great battle over the next few days. Miami should get a boost by playing this game on their home turf, but the Astros pretty clearly have the edge in the starting pitching matchup.
The problem for the Marlins in this series is that the Astros are so explosive on offense, and Miami won’t be able to keep up. Look for this game to get spread out a bit in the score, as Houston is going to take control in this one.
Forget about betting the moneyline and go with the Houston Astros at -1.5 on the run line, as they have little trouble in the series opener.
