The Athletics will host the Guardians in the second-to-last matchup on today’s loaded MLB slate.
The Athletics opened up the series with a 5-1 victory last night. Jeffrey Springs went 7.1 innings, allowing just one earned run, while Nick Kurtz opened up the scoring with a two-run home run, and Cleveland was never able to match the scoring from there.
Heading into Game 2 of the series, the Guardians enter as -136 favorites on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Athletics hold +112 odds on the moneyline with the game total set at 9.5.
Guardians vs. Athletics prediction, preview
The Cleveland Guardians are 37-37 on the season and are 18-22 when playing on the road. They average 3.77 runs pr game this season, which ranks 25th in the league, and are slashing .229/.300/.371 as a team. Cleveland’s pitching is posting a 3.92 ERA and 1.37 WHIP collectively, which rank 17th and 23rd in the league.
Luis Ortiz is expected to get the start for the Guardians tonight. He enters with a 3-8 record on the season and is posting a 4.64 ERA. Ortiz has struggled of late, coming off back-to-back losses in which he has conceded 10 runs in 10.2 innings pitched. He has faced members of this Athletics lineup just nine total times thus far in his career, with Brent Rooker, Gio Urshel, and JJ Bleday having notched a hit against him..
The Athletics are 32-46 on the season and just 15-25 at home this season. However, they are playing better baseball of late, entering this game having won six of their past eight games. They swept the Kansas City Royals on the road and split with the Astros in the previous two series. On the season overall, the Athletics are averaging 4.27 runs per game, which ranks 15th in the MLB, and slashing .253/.320/.418 collectively. Their pitching staff has struggled, posting a 5.47 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, which each rank 29th in the league.
Mitch Spence will get the start for the Athletics tonight. Spence started the season in the bullpen, and this will be just his fourth start of the season. He is coming off three consecutive starts with 5.0 innings pitched and allowed just two earned runs in these opportunities. On the season overall, Spence is 2-1 with a 3.50 ERA, and he has struck out 47 hitters across his first 54.0 innings pitched.
Guardians vs. Athletics pick, best bet
Offense has been a problem for the Guardians all season, but this has been especially evident in recent games. Over the past 15 days, they have averaged just 2.9 runs per game, which ranks dead last in the league. They rank 20th in home runs, 26th in batting average, and last in total hits on the season overall.
The Athletics are on the opposite end of this conversation, with their offense being the driving force of their success and helping to cover up their pitching struggles. They rank sixth in the MLB in home runs, second in hits, and 13th in total hits. They have won six of their last eight games while being underdogs in each of these.
Ortiz has looked vulnerable and expect the Athletics to put up runs at a level that Cleveland struggles to match tonight. Spence is still new to the starting role, but has looked impressive and should give the team a chance to win. There are friendly dimensions for hitters at Sutter Health Park, and Ortiz has also been prone to handing out walks. Count on the Athletics’ bats coming alive in the early innings and for the Guardians to lack the firepower to come back. I am buying into this youthful Athletics team showing some life in recent games and think this is a great spot to pick up another win with the Guardians trending in the wrong direction.
