Battle of Second-Place Teams
The Cleveland Guardians try to snap a three-game losing streak when they face the Los Angeles Angels in the first of a four-game series on Monday night. Cleveland was swept in a three-game weekend series by the New York Yankees and is in second place in the American League Central, a half-game behind the first-place Minnesota Twins.
Los Angeles pulled out the finale of a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday and is in second place in the AL West, one game behind the first-place Seattle Mariners. Both teams want to move up in their division standings, so this will be a competitive game. Make sure you read our in-depth preview to get some insight into this contest before you make any bet online.
Let’s check the latest MLB picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds for Guardians vs Angels. We have plenty of MLB predictions.
Guardians Need to End Slide
It was a lost weekend for the Cleveland Guardians in New York, with three straight losses and the controversy involving the New York Yankees fans who were throwing trash at the Guardians following Saturday’s game. The hope is that switching coasts will help the team change its fortunes on the road.
Right-hander Shane Bieber will be on the mound to try to stop the losing streak on Monday night. Bieber is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts, recording 16 strikeouts in 16 innings of work.
Bieber was brilliant in his last outing against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. In six innings, Bieber allowed just one run on four hits while striking out seven and walking none.
Third baseman Jose Ramirez has been off to a hot start, ranking sixth in baseball with a .362 batting average and leading the majors with 20 RBIs. Ramirez had a rough series against the Yankees, finishing 1-for-11 with no extra-base hits, no RBIs and three strikeouts.
Angels Look to Earn Home Wins
The Los Angeles Angels finally got a win at home against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, though it wasn’t the easiest of victories. Los Angeles jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning, but Baltimore rallied to tie the game before the Angels pulled out the 7-6 win.
“It wasn’t necessarily pleasurable. It started out well, but then we just couldn’t get that hit,” Los Angeles manager Joe Maddon said about Sunday’s win. “They kept fighting back, but we hung in there until the very end.”
Right-hander Michael Lorenzen will make his third start for the Angels on Monday night. Lorenzen is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA in his first year with Los Angeles. Lorenzen had a rough outing in his last start, lasting just 3⅓ innings against the Houston Astros and allowing four runs on four hits, including a home run, while striking out two and walking two.
Outfielder Mike Trout enters on a seven-game hitting streak, going 6-for-12 with a pair of solo home runs in the three-game series against Baltimore. Trout is batting .333 and has four home runs and five RBIs in 12 games.
Reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani is coming off a two-hit day on Sunday in which he scored the winning run. Ohtani is batting .224 with three doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs and 12 runs scored.
Guardians vs Angels Head-to-Head
The Cleveland Guardians have dominated the recent matchups with the Los Angeles Angels, winning 26 of the last 31 meetings. Cleveland won the season series in 2021 by a 5-1 count, including winning two of three against the Angels on the road.
Los Angeles hasn’t won the season series against the Guardians since the 2014 campaign. The MLB lines seem to be keeping that recent dominance in mind, giving the Angels only a slight edge for Monday’s series opener.
Guardians vs Angels Game Information
- Game: Guardians (7-8) vs Angels (9-7)
- Location: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
- Day/Time: Monday, 9:38 p.m. ET
- Guardians vs Angels Live stream: MLB.tv
Guardians vs Angels Betting Lines
Guardians vs Angels Prediction
The Cleveland Guardians had a rough series in New York and had to travel cross country for Monday night’s opener. It’s hard to see them having a lot of juice for this game, so we like the Los Angeles Angels to take the first game of the series.
When making your MLB picks, take Los Angeles to get the win at home.
