Guardians vs. Brewers Odds & Betting Predictions - August 18, 2024

Follow On X: https://x.com/PicksOffice Ben Lively and Colin Rea face off Sunday when the Guardians host the Brewers, and that clearly makes for an interesting decision. Neither pitcher has an ERA above 4.00, but there are some signs from their peripherals that neither pitcher has pitched as well as those numbers suggest. To this point in his career, Lively has had a 4.57 ERA and 1.338 WHIP while allowing 330 hits over 323 innings—the latter figure equivalent to 9.2 hits per nine innings. His 5.02 FIP this year shows that he has been lucky to maintain his ERA at 3.71, and he looks like a potential home-run hitter, as he gives up 1.7 bombs per nine innings, something that the eighth-ranked offense in the league might take advantage of from the very beginning. On the other side, Colin Rea is sporting a respectable 3.72 ERA but with kind of a worrying 4.55 FIP, so big warnings for regression there. Rea hasn't been in great form of late, giving up nine in his last three starts and 18 in his last four home starts. His struggles come further as he holds a rather low strikeout per-nine rate at 7.2 and an extremely threatening home-run rate of 1.4 per nine innings. Though the Brewers are working with a strong bullpen, recent performances indicate Rea could struggle against this Guardians lineup, which is 12th in the league and averaging 4.6 runs per game. Both offenses have the firepower to take advantage of the weaknesses of these starting pitchers. The Guardians, very good at making contact and not striking out, should get opportunities against Rea. The Brewers themselves are going to have enough depth in their lineup to frustrate Lively, especially since he has struggled lately to inhibit sharp contact and home runs. With each team having a stout bullpen, the expectation is for offenses to press the issue early and often, making the over a strong play.

Bet to +106