Hot Offense Meets Giants Strong Pitching Staff
At 4-2, both the San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Guardians have arrived on different terms. The Giants have used stellar pitching to get to 4-2 while their offense has been average at best, and a few players have been out due to injuries.
On the flip side, the Guardians have come out of the gate swinging the bats well after being one of the MLB’s worst-hitting teams in 2021. Their pitching hasn’t been too shabby either, nicely complimenting the strong offensive onslaught.
Let’s check the latest MLB Picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB Odds for the Giants vs. the Guardians. We’ve plenty of MLB Predictions.
Giants Pitching Looks to Extinguish Fiery Guardians Offense
The San Francisco Giants‘ pitching staff is easily one of the top five in the MLB to open up the season, and that has been the strong point in their success thus far. It’s hard to lose when you don’t give up many runs, and with the addition of Carlos Rodon, they are better this year.
Rodon will toe the rubber for his second start of the MLB season, looking to back up a strong five-inning outing in which he fanned 12 hitters, allowing only a single run. Rodon has solid experience facing the Guardians lineup after spending his entire career in a White Sox uniform before signing with the Giants this year. Look for him to use that experience.
The Giants are missing some key components to their lineup. Evan Longoria is out, and shortstop Brandon Crawford is questionable with a wrist injury. These injuries not only hurt their offense but also their defense on the left side of the infield.
Bats on Fire Early this Year
For a team that struggled to produce on the offensive side of the ball in 2021, the Cleveland Guardians have come out absolutely crushing the ball in 2022. New hitting coach Chris Valaika has done a tremendous job so far with a lineup that was no-hit three times in 2021.
The young lineup in Cleveland has come on strong with the likes of Jose Ramirez, Oscar Mercado, Owen Miller, and the fascinating Steven Kwan, they are having break-out starts to the season.
Remember one thing – Guardians have yet to play a high-caliber team, having opened up the season against the Royals and Reds. We will see how they handle the Giants.
Zach Plesac will stride to the mound on Friday night, looking to build on his previous great start where he went 5.2 innings with three strikeouts, surrendering no walks and no runs. Plesac looked strong but is looking to find consistency in his young career.
Giants vs Guardians Head-to-Head
The Giants and Guardians have not played each other since 2017, which is crazy to think about in the MLB now that interleague play is popular.
Carlos Rodon has been a familiar foe to Guardian hitters, with the big lefty throwing a no-hitter against them early in the season in 2021. Rodon will surely be having visions of doing a similar thing on Friday night. This should have a strong effect on the scores and odds for this game.
Giants vs Guardians Game Information
- Game: Giants (4-2) vs Guardians (4-2)
- Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
- Day/Time: Friday, April 15th, 7:10 p.m. ET
- Giants vs Guardians Live stream: MLB.tv
Giants vs Guardians Betting Lines
Giants vs Guardians Prediction
Las Vegas odds are having fun with this one. In a match-up of the current best offense in the MLB against a pitcher that no-hit the same team in 2021, the moneyline odds have the Giants as the favorite at -142. But as the underdog at +127, the Guardians’ hot offense might be worth taking a risk on.
Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in “runs per game” this season, with their averages combined equaling 12 per game. This would be a good game to stay away from the over/under.
The Guardians are 5-1 covering the run line, but the odds for this game are minimal, especially facing a potential pitching threat like Rodon. For this reason, take a little bit of risk on the Guardians as the underdog at +131 and see if the offense can stay hot and get a win.
Bet the Guardians +131 at home.
