The Houston Astros go for the series sweep over the New York Yankees Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. First pitch will come at 7:40 p.m. Eastern.

We went 5-4 in MLB picks Tuesday, as we start to regroup from the unpredictable start to the year.

Odds provided by FanDuel; for a full-set of today's sports betting odds, access them at USA TODAY Sports.

New York Yankees at Houston Astros: Projected Starting Pitchers

LHP James Paxton vs. RHP Collin McHugh

Paxton struck out nine over 5 1/3 innings his last time out, but he issued two walks and allowed eight hits and a homer to give up four earned runs. He's allowed six total runs over 11 innings through his first two starts in pinstripes, but he owns an impressive 14:3 strikeout to walk ratio.

After being used solely as a reliever in 2018 - and putting up elite numbers across the board - McHugh has already made two starts this year. He has a win and a loss but has given up a total of three earned runs while striking out 13 and walking four of the 43 batters he's faced.

New York Yankees at Houston Astros: By the Numbers

• The Astros are going for a sixth straight win, having swept the Oakland Athletics in their previous series. They've outscored the opposition 28-16 over that time.
• McHugh's velocity is down on nearly all pitches, including dips of nearly two miles per hour on his fastball and cutter.

• Paxton's BABIP of .393 is well above his career average. He's throwing more fastballs and cutters and inducing more grounders. He's been a victim of some suspect defense thus far.

New York Yankees at Houston Astros: Key Injuries

John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees are without any injury updates, meaning SSs Didi Gregorius and Troy Tulowitzki, OF Giancarlo Stanton, 3B Miguel Andujar, and RP Dellin Betances remain out of the lineup. SP Luis Severino will be out until late June.

Astros 3B Alex Bregman left Tuesday's game due to a hamstring injury and is considered day-to-day.

New York Yankees at Houston Astros: Picks and Betting Tips

Moneyline: The Yankees have been able to keep both games close despite a lineup severely depleted by injuries. They're listed at +100 with Paxton on the mound as he looks for some more outs via ground balls. Back the road team to avoid the sweep.

Against the spread: New York is -186 to cover the spread of +1.5. Bregman has been the Astros' offensive leader thus far, and his absence would severely limit the damage they could inflict.

Over/under: Tuesday's total barely crept over the line, as the two teams combined for nine runs. Wednesday's number is set at 8, and we'll back the UNDER once again, especially with Bregman's health in jeopardy.

Follow Esten on Twitter @EstenMcLaren

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