A pair of friendly AL foes will square off on the diamond when the Oakland Athletics take on the Cleveland Guardians. You know what time it is! Check out our MLB odds series where our Athletics-Guardians prediction and pick will be revealed.

It hasn't been a walk in the park for the Athletics this season, but they are showing some glimpses of last year's team that went 60-102 overall. Despite all of the distracting talks surrounding their relocation plans of late, Oakland has still managed to go 8-12. Although not elite, they are clearly not the worst team in the league at this point. However, they have lost three of their last four and will be relying upon lefty Alex Wood to help lead the club to victory. Last time out, Wood tossed 4.1 innings and surrendered four earned runs in the process.

On the other side of the win/loss spectrum, the Guardians look like a team that can make some serious noise later this summer. Entering play with a 14-6 record, the Guardians handled their business in game one of this series as they stomped the A's by a lopsided score of 10-2. With only one loss in their last six games, Cleveland is officially on a heater. Responsible for keeping the hot streak going will be southpaw Logan Allen who despite his 5.06 ERA, has a perfect 2-0 record from the mound so far.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Athletics-Guardians Odds

Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-154)

Moneyline: +136

Cleveland Guardians: -1.5 (+128)

Moneyline: -162

Over: 8 (-105)

Under: (-115)

How to Watch Athletics vs. Guardians

Time: 6:10 ET/3:10 PT

TV: MLB.TV

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win

Despite the recent rough stretch, the Athletics are not to be overlooked. Believe it or not, Oakland's pitching efforts have been up to the challenge more often than not. While the numbers on offense aren't pretty to look at, the A's strong suit is obviously from the mound. Even though it's early in the season, the pitching arms on this roster have amassed a 3.95 ERA overall which is the 12th-best mark in all of baseball. While the first clash against the Guardians wasn't the best example of that, the A's had given up three runs or fewer in the previous trio of games played. It won't be easy, but Oakland will need Alex Wood to silence the bats of Cleveland in a big way.

Surprisingly, the Athletics are one of the premier clubs in the league when it comes to driving in runs with runners in scoring position. As long as Oakland can remain consistent in this department, then they'll have an opportunity to knock off Cleveland.

Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win

At first glance, the Guardians shouldn't have any issues in making some noise come Saturday, but it'll be about how they start and finish that ultimately will determine if another rout-like performance is lurking in the shadows.

Unlike Oakland, Cleveland is one of the more feared hitting baseball teams to grace the diamond. With over 112 runs in the opening 20 games of the season, the Guardians are a deep and talented bunch when swinging the lumber. Having scored at least ten runs in two of their last four games, the Guardians can hit for average, power, and contact.  Clearly, Cleveland showed just how explosive they can be when they strung together nine hits including erupting at the plate with runners-scoring-position. Obviously, this statistic could be the most important aspect of the game considering both sides excel in it. When the dust clears, the victor may end up grabbing an edge in this category.

For some reason, the young hurler in Logan Allen has scuffled more often when in front of the home fans. Bafflingly enough, Allen possesses an insanely high 8.38 ERA at Progressive Field. Yes, the sample size is extremely low, and the 25-year-old may be more than due to treating Cleveland's fans with a gem. Last summer, Allen tallied an impressive 3.81 ERA in 25 starts and over 125 innings pitched.

Final Athletics-Guardians Prediction & Pick

Don't let game one's score fool you… it would be a shock if Oakland won't seek vengeance in the strictest of forms. After being humiliated, put your marbles on the Athletics to hang around from start to finish. While it remains to be seen if they can cover and come out triumphant at the same time, selecting them as +1.5 run underdogs is the smart pick here.

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Final Athletics-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Athletics +1.5 (-154)