The Houston Astros (8-15) and Cleveland Guardians (13-10) will begin a three-game series on Monday, April 20 at 6:10 p.m. ET.
As of Monday morning, the Guardians are slight home favorites, carrying a 51% implied probability to win on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Below, we'll break down our Astros vs. Guardians prediction and picks for Monday’s MLB showdown, including the run line, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.
Make your picks for Astros vs. Guardians on PrizePicks now.
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Astros vs. Guardians Prediction, Winner Payout, Over/Under – Monday, April 20
To get the series underway, it will be the Astros’ Spencer Arrighetti (3.94 xFIP across 1 start and 6.0 IP in 2026) and the Guardians’ Slade Cecconi (4.74 xFIP across 4 starts and 19.2 IP) facing each other on the mound.
Over his 7 starts and 35.1 IP in 2025, Arrighetti struggled to the tune of a 5.03 xFIP, 5.43 xERA, and 1.42 WHIP, via FanGraphs. Arrighetti has been pitching better in the minors, and he delivered 10 Ks while allowing 1 ER in his season debut, so maybe he’s turning a corner.
Despite the team’s record, Houston’s lineup has been fantastic, generating the third-best wRC+ (122), third-best wOBA (.347), and fourth-best ISO (.174). During Sunday’s loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, DH Yordan Alvarez became the first player in the league to reach 10 HRs on the year.
Cecconi hasn’t gotten off to the smoothest start, residing in the 26th percentile in xERA (5.05) and 34th percentile in walk rate (11.4%), per Baseball Savant.
Entering Monday’s contest, Cleveland’s bats are producing the 17th-best wRC+ (100), 16th-best wOBA (.315), and sixth-best ISO (.156).
Astros vs. Guardians Winner Payout, Over/Under – Monday, April 20
The Guardians enter Monday’s game as slight home favorites, returning a 1.81x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Here are the full payouts for the Astros vs. Guardians game on PrizePicks.
- Spread: Houston Astros -1.5 (2.5x payout)
- Over/Under: 7.5 (1.81x payout on Over)
- Game Winner Payout: Astros 1.92x | Guardians 1.81x
Play the Astros vs. Guardians spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 35 states!
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Astros vs. Guardians Prediction to Win 4/20/26
Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Astros vs. Guardians prediction on the winner for Monday, April 20.
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- Besides Cecconi’s other forgettable metrics mentioned above, he’s in just the 40th percentile in strikeout rate (20.5%) and 30th percentile in barrel rate (10.5%).
- Although it’s still early, the Astros have the third-best wRC+ (122), third-best wOBA (.347), and eighth-best ISO (.165) against right-handed pitching.
- Meanwhile, the Guardians have the 10th-worst wRC+ (97), ninth-worst wOBA (.309), and 14th-highest strikeout rate when facing righties to begin the 2026 MLB campaign.
- Just last season, Cleveland had the fifth-worst wRC+ (89), third-worst wOBA (.293), and ninth-worst ISO (.142) when playing at home.
- Houston had the 11th-best wRC+ (102), 12th-best wOBA (.315), and 12th-best ISO (.157) on the road in 2025.
- The Astros had the second-best win rate (52.6%) in the league as road underdogs just a season ago.
Astros vs. Guardians Player Picks, Stats for PrizePicks: 4/20/26
Here are the top Astros vs. Guardians picks to target on PrizePicks for Monday, April 20. Today’s MLB picks for PrizePicks include 2B Jose Altuve and 3B Jose Ramirez.
Astros 2B Jose Altuve vs. Guardians Projection: 5.5 Hitter Fantasy Score
- Cecconi has slight reverse splits, recording a 4.31 xFIP and 1.28 WHIP against righties in 2025. He has a 6.58 xFIP and 1.30 WHIP when facing them to begin 2026.
- Not only that, but Cecconi has given up at least 4 ERs in two of his four starts this season.
- Jose Altuve posted a solid 112 wRC+, .329 wOBA, .170 ISO, and just a 15.3% strikeout rate vs. RHP last year. He has a 143 wRC+, .378 wOBA, .237 ISO, and a 17.9% strikeout rate in that split to begin the new campaign.
- Over his last four games, Altuve has totaled 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 double, 1 HR, and 2 RBIs.
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Guardians 3B Jose Ramirez vs. Astros Projection: 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs
- Jose Ramirez accrued a 130 wRC+, .354 wOBA, .232 ISO, and just an 11.7% strikeout rate when facing righties in 2025.
- The experienced 3B is coming off a 2-HR outing on Sunday, and he’s got five multi-hit outings in his last 10 contests.
- Ramirez had a 141 wRC+, .369 wOBA, and .227 ISO at home compared to a 126 wRC+, .351 wOBA, and .212 ISO on the road last season.
- Last year, Arrighetti logged a woeful 5.18 xFIP, 1.71 WHIP, and 1.59 HR/9 against lefties.
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April hasn’t been kind to the Astros so far, as they’ve gone 4-13 and are currently on a four-game losing streak. Can they get their series started against the Guardians on the right foot with a victory?
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