It hasn’t been a pleasant stretch for the Guardians of late. They went up 6-1 against the Cardinals on Saturday, June 28 before losing the game 9-6.
That marked three straight losses for Cleveland, including two previous shutouts. St. Louis already won this series, but Cleveland can still salvage something with the finale on Sunday, June 29.
The Cardinals are -127 favorites on the moneyline, and the game total is set at over/under 8.5 runs on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Guardians are +104 underdogs.
Here’s my prediction and pick for Sunday’s Cardinals vs. Guardians matchup.
Cardinals vs. Guardians prediction
The Cardinals are eight game above .500 yet sit in third place in the NL Central. It’s the tough reality for a team in a good division. They’re 3.5 games behind the first place Cubs with a lot of regular season ball remaining.
Meanwhile, the Guardians are in second place in a disastrous AL Central. They’re 10.5 games behind the Tigers and one game under .500. Cleveland’s recent stretch has been underwhelming, too. They’ve lost three straight with two being shutouts and one a blown 6-1 lead.
Logan Allen gets the start for the Guardians on Sunday against Matthew Liberatore. Allen has improved his ERA from last year, but he still hasn’t been overly impressive. The 26-year-old has allowed two earned runs in six of his last seven games, with the one exception being a one-inning outing.
Liberatore isn’t a Cy Young by any means, but he’s been a strong pitcher in his first full season as a starter. The 25-year-old made 60 appearances last year, starting six and finishing eight. This year he’s started all 15 of his outings, owns a 3.96 ERA and surpassed his career-high innings total already.
The Guardians already struggle to put runs on the board, so this doesn’t help their fight. It could be a tough afternoon for Cleveland.
Cardinals vs. Guardians pick, best bet
It’s hard to come back after blowing a 6-1 lead the previous game. It’s even more difficult considering the Guardians were shut out the two games before that.
To add more fuel to the fire, the Cardinals have a clear pitching advantage on Sunday. The Guardians, an already struggling offensive team, has to face Liberatore.
At least Cleveland is at home, but that won’t be enough to avoid a series sweep. Cardinals moneyline at -127 is the play, but Cardinals -1.5 at +129 is also excellent.