Cleveland Guardians at Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview

Tuesday night will feature the second game of a four-game series between the Cleveland Guardians (7-9) and the Los Angeles Angels (10-7). The Angels will host this one at Angel Stadium, with the first pitch scheduled for 9:38 pm ET.

Cleveland comes into this one having lost four games in a row, including a 3-0 loss Monday night. In the loss, the Guardians managed just three hits, with Richie Palacios accounting for two of them.

Shane Bieber went 6.1 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out six, but he also allowed two home runs.

Both of the home runs for the Angels were hit by right fielder Taylor Ward. On the day, he went two for four with three runs batted in and two runs scored.

Michael Lorenzen was credited with the win after going six innings of scoreless ball, allowing three hits and four walks.

The Angels are the favorites playing at home Tuesday night. They are -164 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +138. The spread features Cleveland +1.5 (-156), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.

Guardians Look To Snap Losing Streak

Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, ace Shane Bieber could not get it done on Monday, and their losing streak has extended to four games. On Tuesday, manager Terry Francona will turn to righty Tristin McKenzie to try to snap the losing streak.

On the season, McKenzie is 0-1 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and he has 11 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched. In his last start, he took a no-decision against the White Sox after allowing one run over 4.1 innings of work.

Offensively, the Guardians’ best hitter over the last seven days has been Franmil Reyes. In 15 at bats over that span, he is hitting .267/.313/.667 with a couple of home runs and three runs batted in.

Of course, their best hitter continues to be the third baseman Jose Ramirez. The 29-year-old is hitting .356/.426/.678 with four home runs, 20 runs batted in, and seven runs scored. In two at bats, he has one hit against the Angels’ starter on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Out To Prove They Can Compete In Division

With the Houston Astros scuffling to start the season, the Angels have to be building confidence that they can finally break through and win the AL West this season. At 10-7, they are right behind the Mariners for the division lead and have the star power to compete if they can stay healthy.

While Shohei Ohtani and Noah Syndergaard lead the Angels’ rotation, lefty Patrick Sandoval could end up being one of their best starters this season. Through two starts, Sandoval still has yet to give up an earned run.

In fact, over 11 eight innings, Sandoval is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and has 11 strikeouts. Of some concern, he does have five walks and seven hits allowed in those eight innings, but he has still found a way to work out of jams this season and has swing and miss stuff.

Offensively, the Angels are led by perennial MVP candidates Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. In 46 at bats thus far, Trout is hitting .326/.436/.696 with four home runs, five runs batted in, and 12 runs scored.

For Ohtani, he is hitting .211/.273/.380 with three home runs, nine runs batted in, 12 runs scored, and three stolen bases.

Guardians/Angels Betting Prediction

The Guardians had a lot of confidence after sweeping their division rivals, the Chicago White Sox, last week over three games. The problem, though, is they have really been struggling otherwise.

In fact, outside of that sweep of Chicago, they have lost their last seven games in a row, including sweeps by the Giants and Yankees, and now having lost the first game of this series.

While the pitching has generally been good enough to keep them in it (aside from one or two Aaron Civale starts), their offense has been inconsistent at best.

Yes, they rank towards the top of the majors in runs scored, but that is largely from a four-game span at the beginning of the season where they hit everything in sight and put up 44 runs.

Otherwise, Cleveland has struggled, having scored a combined seven runs in their last four games.

On the flip side, Los Angeles seems to be starting to click, having won seven of their last ten games.

McKenzie has the ability to be potent on the mound, but the question is whether he will get any support. Right now, it is hard to guarantee that.

As a result, the best bet in this one is to take the Angels to win straight up, and don’t hesitate to bet on them covering the -1.5 runline either.