The Guardians have won four in a row coming into Friday’s game with the Brewers, but they have not five in a row yet this season. In this four-game streak, they have outscored their opponent 28 to 12.
Shane Bieber is on the bump and he is leading a staff that is currently in the top 3rd of MLB when it comes to most pitching statistics. Interestingly, the one stat they are near the bottom is strikeouts as the Guards are currently 28th. A lot of complaints about Bieber’s strikeouts being down in 2023, but it is just not Bieber, and the pitching staff as a whole ranks well in most other statistics. Yes, the Guardians are not striking out batters, but they are still getting outs and they are very efficient.
Manager Terry Francona told Cleveland.com that the team is hopeful that Will Brennan will not need an IL stint, but is unsure when he will be back in the lineup.
Cleveland finds itself with a subpar record, sitting three games below a .500 winning percentage. However, they are in close pursuit of the division-leading Minnesota in the AL Central standings, as only one game separates the two teams. Can the Guardians reclaim the Central Division title?
The offensive performance of Cleveland has been lackluster, scoring an average of 3.89 runs per game, ranking them 27th in the league. Their batting average stands at .245, placing them 17th, while their overall offensive production, measured by OPS, sits at .679, placing them 27th as well. In terms of power hitting, they have hit the fewest home runs in the league with 46 (30th), but their stolen base count of 55 ranks them 11th. On the pitching side, the team has performed decently, with a 3.85 ERA, ranking them 9th in the league, and a 1.29 WHIP, placing them 16th. The pitching staff has also recorded 29 quality starts.
Taking the mound for the Guardians on Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field is Allen. The young left-handed pitcher has struggled in his recent two outings, allowing a combined total of ten runs in nine innings against Houston and San Diego. However, he has shown consistency throughout the season, limiting seven of his opponents to three runs or fewer.
In the current season, the Milwaukee Brewers have struggled at the plate, ranking 27th in the majors with a .677 OPS. Despite this, left fielder Christian Yelich has been performing exceptionally well. Yelich boasts an impressive .791 OPS and has stolen 16 bases. Over the past 15 games, he has maintained a strong slash line of .316/.391/.579, hitting two home runs, driving in seven runs, and demonstrating a solid 7:19 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
On the pitching side, Wade Miley is set to make his 10th start of the year. So far, he has been performing admirably with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP across 46.2 innings of work. Hitters have managed a decent .227 batting average against him thus far. In his most recent outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miley secured a win by pitching five shutout innings, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out four batters.
Wade Miley showcased his form in his previous start after a month-long hiatus, and facing a comparatively weaker Cleveland lineup should yield similar results. Both teams have maintained a roughly .500 record, but the Brew Crew boasts a formidable lineup featuring notable sluggers like Rowdy Tellez and Christian Yelich. Milwaukee has held a 16-16 record against American League teams this season, whereas Cleveland has struggled with an 8-13 record against National League opponents. Additionally, the Brewers have emerged victorious in five of their last six interleague away games against teams with losing records. Therefore, it would be wise to favor the Brewers as they hit the road as underdogs in this matchup.
The under is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games against one another so go with the under to hit in this matchup.
Our Pick: Take the under in this game
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