The Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will square off for the second of a three-game set on Tuesday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make an Indians-Angels prediction and pick.
Los Angeles took the first game of this series by a score of 7-4. The Angels won as a +123 underdog and the final score went over the 9.5 run total. Cleveland will send out Zach Plesac while the Angels will look for the series win with Andrew Heaney on the bump.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Indians-Angels odds.
MLB Odds: Indians-Angels Odds
Cleveland Indians +1.5 (-190)
Los Angeles Angels -1.5 (+165)
Over 7.5 Runs (-102)
Under 7.5 Runs (-118)
Why The Indians Could Cover The Spread
Cleveland will send out right-hander Zach Plesac in hopes of evening this series at one apiece. Plesac has been dominant of late as he carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning of his last start against the Mariners. He gave up a single and a two-run homer in the eighth inning of that start and fell six outs short of the win. Despite the fact that he whiffed on the no-hitter, Zach has allowed three earned runs or fewer in four consecutive starts. He has improved his ERA to 3.56 and opposing hitters are batting just .205 off of the Indians right-hander.
The Indians will have to get the bats going if they want to win this game and hit a stride mid-way through the season. They have been towards the bottom of the league in most offensive categories and have been too dependent on hitting the long ball. Cleveland is hitting just .209 as a club right now and possess a .283 on-base percentage, which is good for 30th in Major League Baseball. The Indians lineup is led by Jose Ramirez, who leads the team with 11 homers and 22 RBI on the season.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
Los Angeles will look for a bounce back start from Andrew Heaney in the second game of this series. Heaney wasn't very good in his last start against the Astros, allowing five runs on nine hits and five strikeouts in the loss. Heaney has been susceptible to the long ball all year and gave up a pair of early home runs in his recent start. The Angel southpaw did settle down in the fourth and threw a few scoreless frames before getting pulled in the sixth. Heaney enters this start with a 4.75 ERA on the young season.
The Angels offense has been impressive to start the season. They are batting .250 and slugging .411 as a club, which is good for sixth and seventh in the league, respectively. Shohei Ohtani is having a breakout season at the plate and the success seems to be trickling down the lineup card night in and night out. As Mike Trout left last game and is questionable for this one, Ohtani will have to continue to rake at the plate.
Final Indians-Angels Prediction & Pick
I see the disparity in the pitching matchup being the ultimate difference maker. Plesac has been on a tear in his last four starts and Heaney can't seem to figure out how to keep the ball in the ballpark. The Angels bullpen doesn't provide any sort of comfort and may be asked to eat up a chunk of this game if Heaney falls victim to the early long balls again. Cleveland has had a ton of success against Los Angeles in recent history, going 8-1 in their last nine head-to-head matchup's. Look for the Tribe to even the series.
FINAL PICK: Cleveland Indians ML (+105)
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