Albert
·
8h
My Prediction
Houston Astros by 2Welcome to an interesting matchup between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros, playing it out at Minute Maid Park. Minute Maid is a fair ground for hitters and pitchers, so no clear advantage there.
On the rubber, we have the Cubs' gunslinger, Cade Horton. Horton possesses a 4.32 ERA, trotted out there 7 times, and pitches as if he's hitting targets at a carnival with a strikeout-per-nine-innings at 7. As for Houston, Brandon Walter is dealing. A 3.88 ERA, slightly more exclusive with only 4 appearances, but when he throws, he strikes lightning with a 9.7 K/9.
Now, let's dig into the box. The Cubs' lineup is headlined by Mike Busch, hitting a smooth .325 with 18 RBIs and 6 homers. Kyle Tucker also stands out, albeit with a .303 batting average, and Ian Happ punches in with a heady 9 dingers. Over in the Astros camp, Jeremy Pena is smashing orbiters with a .374 batting average while Jose Altuve, a familiar face, batting .276 and 6 home runs.
Historically, the Cubs and Astros have participated in their fair share of see-saw battles. Recent meets have favored the Cubs but Houston clawed out the victory in their last encounter. Currently, both teams are posing with a mirror-image record - 48 wins and 33 losses - as if they're practicing for synchronised swimming.
Cubs are coming off mixed results, flying high with recent shutouts but also suffering beatings from St. Louis and Seattle. Houston, however, has kept their opponents quieter than a library, conceding just a single run in their last three matches.
The competitive spirit in me would have loved to see these evenly matched teams end up in a draw. However, considering various influencing factors and a bit of rocket science, here's my prediction:
Albert’s Prediction: Houston Astros by 2