Milwaukee Brewers vs Houston Astros Prediction, 5/18/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Milwaukee Brewers vs Houston Astros

Date: Saturday, May 18, 2024

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Odds/Point Spread: Milwaukee (-108) Houston (-108)

The Houston Astros (19-25) will go up against the Milwaukee Brewers (26-17) at Minute Maid Park on Saturday. The odds on this game have Milwaukee at -108 and Houston opens at -108. The total is 8.5. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Bryse Wilson and Justin Verlander.

The Brewers have accrued 71 two-baggers as a unit and have smacked 55 baseballs out of the stadium. Milwaukee has a slugging percentage of .429 and have struck out 395 times, while drawing a walk on 157 occasions. As a team, the Milwaukee Brewers are scoring 5.2 runs/g, which ranks them 3rd in MLB. They have tallied 212 RBI's and 385 base knocks so far this year, while their team batting average is at .259. They have notched a total of 223 runs while holding a team OBP of .337.

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They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 2.38 and the pitching staff has recorded a WHIP of 1.30. Brewers pitchers have allowed 51 home runs and also 181 runs (12th in the league). Milwaukee has given up 352 base hits (8.3 per 9 innings) in addition to 168 earned runs. The Brewers have an ERA of 3.96 so far this season (15th in the league), and the staff has struck out 343 hitters. They have walked 144 batters and their FIP is 4.33 as a unit over the course of the season.

Brewers bullpen pitchers have come into the game with runners on 39 times and also have had 46 appearances in high leverage situations. The bullpen have racked up 22 holds on the season (20th in MLB). The Brewers bullpen have compiled a save rate of 75.0% and has come into the game in 42 save situations. They have earned 15 saves on the year and have blown 5 of their 20 save opportunities. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 60 base runners on the campaign with 28.3% of them earned a run for their team. The Brewers have dispatched 140 relief pitchers to the mound this season.

The Milwaukee Brewers have notched a total of 1,146 putouts this year, as well as 369 assists and 22 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .986 which puts them in 11th in the majors, and they have turned 27 double plays. The Brewers have turned 70.8% of balls in play into outs out of 3,438 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 9th in baseball.

Wilson (17-18 career mark) has earned a FIP of 4.97 while he has faced 1,481 batters in the major leagues. He has conceded 352 hits (9.2 hits per 9 innings) and has had 116 walks. His earned run average is 4.59 (175 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.364. Wilson has taken the ball for 343 innings and has totaled 251 punch outs during his MLB career.

The Astros hold a slugging % of .413 and they tally 4.55 runs per contest (13th in the league). They have hit 72 doubles, while getting a free base 138 times as well as recording 200 runs. Houston has 50 home runs for the year and 189 RBIs. They have been rung up on 289 occasions (30th in the league) and are sitting with 396 hits. The Houston Astros have an on-base percentage of .328 as well as a batting average of .261 over the course of the season.

The Astros have a team WHIP of 1.414 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.35 as a team this year. They rank 22nd in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 371. The Houston pitching staff have surrendered 210 runs this year and come in with a team ERA of 4.58 (198 earned runs yielded). Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 8.70 (375 strikeouts vs 179 free passes). They have surrendered 48 long balls and they give up 4.86 runs per 9 innings (22nd in the league).

Houston has called on bullpen pitchers to step onto the hill in 16 save opportunities and they have tallied 7 saves. They are currently ranked 29th in MLB with a save rate of 43.8%, and they have sent 143 relievers onto the diamond so far this year. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 41 times in high leverage situations and also on 28 occasions with runners on base. Houston bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 23.3% out of 43 inherited runners. With 38 save situations, the Astros have compiled 22 holds in addition to 9 blown saves.

The Houston Astros have turned 43 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .986 (10th in pro baseball). The Astros have recorded 383 assists, 22 errors and have accumulated 1,167 putouts so far this year. Out of their 3,501 innings played, the Astros have a defensive efficiency of 68.5% (24th in professional baseball).

During his career, Verlander has surrendered 2,816 hits while earning 3,365 K's in 3,354 innings pitched. He has surrendered 1,208 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.119 and a FIP of 3.4. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.59 and he has faced 13,668 opposing batters during his career. Verlander (259-142 career win-loss mark) has a 3.24 earned run average and has conceded 7.6 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Milwaukee (-108)

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