A pair of teams pushing for the lead in their respective divisions square off when the Guardians face the Astros in Houston on Monday. The Guardians, a .500 team for the season, are four games under .500 on the road. While their hitting has improved somewhat lately, Cleveland is averaging just 4.1 Runs per game lately. The Astros (.281/.844) are leading the league in OPS over the last week, and stand a good chance of spoiling Syndergaard's Guardians debut. Thor struggled to a +ten ERA over his last three starts with the Dodgers. It is hard to see him pitching much better on Monday as quality starts are rare when he is on the mound this year. JP France starts for Houston. The Astros are 5-0 in his recent starts. He has a 1.47 ERA in this last two appearances, allowing just a single run over 14 innings and has been very consistent this season. The Astros and Guardians are known for bullpen excellence. This has not been the case lately, but the Astros can certainly expect to get more innings out of France than Syndergaard.

Take the superior starter and more potent offense of the home team to win out on Monday. I am wagering on the Astros on the Run Line at -1.5.