Guardians, Astros American League Best Bets for August 17

There are multiple games today beginning this afternoon on the American League schedule, and there’s value to target in these spots. Below, you can find both games from the American League and some of our best bets on the FanDuel Sportsbook.Detroit Tigers (+180) vs. Cleveland Guardians (-215) Total: 7.5 (O -102, U -120)

The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians will conclude their four-game series tonight from Progressive Field. Through three games, Detroit has taken two, so the Guardians will need to pick up this victory to avoid dropping a series to the lowly Tigers. The AL Central race will come down to the wire, and the Guardians hold a one-game advantage over the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins. Games against the last-place Tigers are ones the Guardians need to win, and luckily for them, they should have an advantage in this matchup. The first-place Guardians own a 7-3 record over their past ten games, while the Tigers are 2-8 over that same sample size, with both of those wins coming over Cleveland. 

The final pitching matchup of this series should give an edge to the home side, with one of their most consistent arms expected to take the hill. The Tigers will start lefthander Daniel Norris, while the Guardians will turn to righthander Cal Quantrill. Norris hasn’t pitched well, owning a 0-4 record with a 5.97 ERA and 44 strikeouts, while Quantrill has been solid for the Guardians, holding a 9-5 record with a 3.67 ERA and 86 punchouts. Quantrill has also previously pitched well against the Tigers, while Norris hasn’t had much big league success against anyone.

There’s no value in considering them on the moneyline tonight at -215, but there’s some on the Guardians’ run line at -106. 

Best Bet: Guardians run line (-106)

The Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox will play Game 3 of a four-game series from Guaranteed Rate Field tonight. The White Sox have already taken the first two games in this series over the AL West-leading Astros and will be looking for the crucial series victory later this evening. Entering action tonight, the White Sox find themselves quietly one game back of the Guardians in the tightly contested AL Central. Meanwhile, the Astros still lead the AL West by 11 games and hold a 2.5-game lead over the New York Yankees for the best record in the American League. If this is the start of a hot streak for the White Sox, the rest of the AL should be on notice because of how good their pitching could look in a playoff series. 

There’s a lot to like about this matchup, where we’re set to be treated to another great pitching duel. The third matchup between these clubs is expected to feature lefthander Framber Valdez of the visiting Astros taking on Michael Kopech of the White Sox. Valdez has been exceptional for the Astros and has put his name in the AL Cy Young conversation, owning an 11-4 record with a 2.73 ERA and 128 strikeouts, while Kopech is 4-8 with a 3.18 ERA and 96 strikeouts. Valdez has yet to face off with the White Sox this season, but Kopech has already had one poor start against the Astros

The Astros moneyline price of -154 is acceptable, but with Valdez on the mound and Kopech’s earlier struggles against Houston, considering them on the run line makes a lot of sense at +100. 

Best Bet: Astros run line (+100)