In an American League matchup that features two teams going in opposite directions, the Cleveland Guardians will play their second straight game at Angel Stadium versus the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday evening. It is time for our MLB odds series, where our Guardians-Angels prediction and pick will be made.
Losers of four consecutive games, the Guardians are sliding fast. After getting shutout 3-0 yesterday by the Angels, Cleveland will look to rebound fast before things start getting out of hand. The Guardians will send out RHP Triston McKenzie to stop the bleeding, as the twirler is 0-1 with a 2.38 ERA to start off the 2022 campaign.
At 10-7, the Angels are in second place in the AL West, trailing the Seattle Mariners by 0.5 games for the division lead. Los Angeles has won seven of their last ten games. Southpaw pitcher Patrick Sandoval will be tasked in shutting down the Guardians, as the 25-year-old native of California has looked strong in his two starts, throwing eight innings of scoreless baseball against the Astros and Marlins.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Guardians-Angels MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Guardians-Angels Odds
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-144)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (-120)
Over: 7.5 (-118)
Under:7.5 (-104)
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Why The Guardians Could Cover the Spread
The Guardians are no doubt in an early-season funk, as they are just hoping at this point to avoid another sweeping at the hands of another AL foe. In their previous losing series against the Yankees, Cleveland was outscored 19-7, and never really stood a chance in each matchup they played in New York. Cleveland has showcased that they can be extremely streaky so far in 2022, as before the Yankees series, they swept the White Sox only to get swept again by the Giants at home prior to that.
In order to find a better sense of consistency as the season moves along, the Guardians have to find a way to get a little more out of their arms, as they rank 17th in the majors in ERA with a 3.61 mark. At one point, Cleveland stood at 7-5 before their current losing streak, as it seems the starting staff and bullpen have yet to get on the same page over the last four games played.
The key in reversing the losing trend will be McKenzie, who has yet to pitch deep into games but has only allowed three runs in 11 1/3 innings pitched. Mckenzie is a promising young arm for the Guardians who have a deep arsenal of pitches that can keep any opposing lineup off-balanced.
If there is one thing that Cleveland excels at, it's scoring runs at a feverish rate. Although this offensive production was slightly slowed down in their last series, the Guardians still rank as the eighth-best team in runs scored with 75 total. They also round out with the third-best batting average at .256 and are sixth in slugging percentage at .408.
There are no guaranteed outs when facing this lineup, as third baseman Jose Ramirez has been on an absolute tear at the plate, as he is boasting a .350 batting average with four home runs and 20 runs batted in.
Why The Angels Could Cover the Spread
With the Guardians slumping, the Angels have been presented with an opportunistic chance to rack up a couple wins. So far, Los Angeles has played very soundly, as LA's hitting and pitching have complimented each other nicely. In their 3-0 win yesterday versus Cleveland, the Angels didn't necessarily have the bats working to full capacity, but the pitchers on the roster were able to step up and baffle the Guardians in only allowing three hits on the night. Looking to receive a series victory and cover the spread, both sides need to their jobs.
Inside the batter's box, Los Angeles already obtains arguably the greatest hitter of this generation in Mike Trout and also possess international superstar Shohei Ohtani, so foes usually have to pick their poison when going up against them.
In fact, Los Angeles is one of the best offenses in all of baseball, as they rank near the top-five in batting average, runs scored, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Additionally, the Angels love soaring balls through the Orange County air, as they have already hit 23 home runs in 17 games thus far.
After RHP Michael Lorenzen shut Cleveland out in three-hit fashion over six innings, lefty Patrick Sandoval should be eager in sustaining that same success. While disposing of the Guardians lineup won't be an easy task, Sandoval will have to rely on whatever pitch is working best for him due to a lack of experience under his belt. In two starts versus Cleveland, Sandoval is 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA.
Final Guardians-Angels Prediction & Pick
Yes, the Guardians have looked dreadful during their four-game winning streak, but expect them to come out with a sense of urgency Tuesday night in trying to get back in the win column. This offense won't be silenced forever, as Cleveland has had generally great success in a limited action versus Sandoval. The -1.5 spread will be tough to cover again for the Angels, especially against a fed up Guardians bunch.
Final Guardians-Angels Prediction & Pick: Guardians +1.5 (-144)
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