The Guardians host the Diamondbacks tonight at Progressive Field in Cleveland and will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak. However, they are facing a Diamondbacks club that has won two straight and their record of 61-52 has them 2nd in the NL West. Arizona is favored on the money line (-104), while the Guardians’ money line odds are sitting at -115.
This interleague matchup has a start time of 6:40 PM ET, and BSGL will be televising the matchup. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and Ben Lively is starting for the Guardians, while the Diamondbacks are going with Eduardo Rodriguez.
Red-Hot Diamondbacks Surge: Arizona Eyes NL West Lead with Stellar Performances
Arizona is 61-52 overall this season and are 2nd in the NL West, five games behind the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks have won two straight games and are 8-2 over their last 10. They are 31-25 at home and 30-27 on the road. Arizona is 33-20 as the favorite and 28-32 as the underdog. They are 19-13-4 in series this year and have won six straight series.
Arizona’s games have averaged 9.9 runs per game this season, and they have a 62-48 over/under record. Eduardo Rodriguez will start for the Diamondbacks, and last season he went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He went 4-0 with a 0.38 ERA vs. the Guardians last season. Arizona is 2nd in runs per game at 5.2 and 2nd in batting average at .258. Ketel Marte is hitting .300 with 28 home runs and 78 RBIs, and Christian Walker is hitting .254 with 23 homers and 71 RBIs. Jake McCarthy is hitting .469 over his last 9 games.
Guardians’ Hot Streak Faces Test as Lively Takes Mound Against Diamondbacks
The Cleveland Guardians have been on a hot streak of late, with the over hitting in each of their last five games. Their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 55-51 overall. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, they are 9-9-2 on the season. Today’s over/under line is set at 8 runs, and for the season, 47.3% of their games have had higher lines than that. Cleveland comes into today’s game vs. the Diamondbacks having dropped three straight games, and they are 67-45 overall, which is good for a 3.5 game lead in the AL Central. The Guardians lead the Twins in the division, and they are 19-15 against other teams in the AL Central.
Cleveland is sending Ben Lively to the mound today vs. the Diamondbacks, and he has been pitching well lately. Lively has won each of his last two starts, going six innings in each outing. In his most recent start, he gave up just one earned run. Looking back over his last four outings, Lively has allowed two earned runs in three of them. For the season, he has a record of 10-6 and an ERA of 3.42. Opponents are batting .226 off Lively this season. Out of his 19 starts, Lively has seven quality starts. The Guardians are 14th in total home runs with 126, and their batting average of .242 ranks 11th in the league. Their strikeout rate of 7 per game is 4th best in the league. José Ramírez has been one of their top hitters this season, with a .282 batting average, 29 home runs, and 94 RBI. He’s been hot lately, hitting .444 over his last 7 games.
Guardians Favored in Tight Matchup Against Diamondbacks: Bet on the Money Line and Over
Our pick for this Diamondbacks vs. Guardians matchup is to take the Guardians on the money line at -115. We have the Guardians winning this one by a score of 6-5. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also look to the over/under line, which is sitting at 8 runs. We would take the over in this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Ben Lively is predicted to go 16th in terms of starting pitchers in picking up a win. However, he is projected to have the second-fewest hits allowed and the third-fewest earned runs. As for the Diamondbacks, they are projected to finish with eight hits, while the Guardians are predicted to finish with nine.
