The Cleveland Guardians travel to the Lone Star State to take on the Houston Astros. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Guardians-Astros prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.

The Guardians have gained a little bit of ground on the Minnesota Twins as they are now just half a game back in the AL Central. Cleveland has won six of their last 10, but they did just split a series with the Chicago White Sox. The Guardians can still win their division, but the wild card is most likely out of reach. They will need to make some moves at the deadline, but the rest of the season will be a grind for them.

The Astros are coming off a weekend series loss against the Tampa Bay Rays, and they now trail in the AL West by one game. The Wild Card is going to be up for grabs between the AL West and AL East, so it would be much safer to just win the division. Houston has started their trade deadline moves already. They acquired Kendall Graveman from the White Sox for Korey Lee. Graveman will help bolster their bullpen, but the Astros may not be done with their trading.

Noah Syndergaard will make his first start since June 7th, and the Astros will hand the ball to J.P France.

Here are the Guardians-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Guardians-Astros Odds

Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-130)

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+108)

Over: 9 (-115)

Under: 9 (-105)

How To Watch Guardians vs. Astros

TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes, AT&T SportsNet Southwest

Stream: MLB TV subscription

Time: 8:10 PM ET/5:10 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread

The Guardians will need to score some runs in this game. France is having a good season, but he is actually worse when pitching at home. France allows more home runs, strikes out less batters, and has an ERA almost two runs worse when pitching at Minute Maid Park. The Guardians need to take advantage of a pitcher that struggles at home. Cleveland does not hit for power, but if they can string together multiple hits, they will keep this game close and cover the spread.

Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread

The Guardians are starting a struggling pitcher in this game. Cleveland acquired Syndergaard from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he is not having a good season. Syndergaard has allowed opponents to hit .313 off him, and .366 when pitching on the road. With this being a road game for him, the Astros find themselves with a really good matchup. To make things better for Houston, Syndergaard has both lefties and righties to hit for a high average off him. They can work their lineup however they want to. The Astros should be able to put together a good offensive day in this game.

Final Guardians-Astros Prediction & Pick

With how much Syndergaard struggled on the Dodgers, it is very hard to bet on him. He is coming off the IL after  finger injury, so his rough start could be chalked up to health. However, I can not trust him yet. I expect the Astros to win this game and cover the spread.

Final Guardians-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+108), Over 9 (-115)