by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Jun 03, 2022
Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
Where to watch: Bally Sports Great Lakes, MASN 2
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Guardians -140, Orioles +120
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Guardians -135, Orioles +115
Season record
Guardians: 22-24
Orioles: 22-31
This has been a weird season to this point as we get through the second month of baseball season. The last 30 days, we've seen Jim Feist rack up plenty of good wins going 48-42-4 over the last 30 days. It's been an unpredictable season so far, but our champion handicappers have been doing well all season. Get on board and join the ride. Catch Jim's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Guardians - Orioles preview and analysis
The Cleveland Guardians and Baltimore Orioles will begin a three-game series starting Friday with both teams on different sides of the record ledger.
Cleveland is coming in off a three-game sweep over the Kansas City Royals and having won four of five despite losing two of three to the Detroit Tigers. The Guardians capped it off with a 4-0 win on Wednesday at home against the Royals and outsourcing them 19-6 during that series.
A young lad by the name of Konnor Pilkington had eight strikeouts in five innings for the first win of his major league career.
"I know I needed some kind of action, maybe a strikeout, maybe a double-play ball, something like that," he said. "Cards fell my way and I just kept executing pitches."
Jose Ramirez continued one hell of a start to the season with a league-leading 52nd RBI, one of four different players to drive in a run.
"I don't want to sound bad or anything but my stuff plays," said Pilkington, who was acquired from Washington last season for infielder César Hernández. "Trusting my fastball and trusting my changeup and being able to locate those pitches. And then when they start to get on, being able to adjust."
Meanwhile, the feel-good story of the Orioles has hit a bit of a halt. They’ve alternated wins and losses over the last eight games and are coming off a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Seattle Mariners in which they lost the series.
"That's a really scrappy team over there," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "They do not quit, and they've got some young guys trying to prove themselves, so we had our hands full."
Prediction
I’m careful with this weekend in knowing who to take, but I like the hotter team here despite the opponent being a little subdued by beating the Royals. I’ll take Cleveland to at least win a close one considering they had a day off. Guardians win 5-4
Betting trends
Guardians are 10-4 this season following two straight home games.
Guardians are 4-2 this season when Shane Bieber pitches.
Orioles are 14-30 against AL Central teams the past three seasons.
Projected lineup
Guardians:
Steven Kwan (L) CF
Amed Rosario (R) SS
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Josh Naylor (L) 1B
Owen Miller (R) DH
Oscar Gonzalez (R) RF
Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
Richie Palacios (L) LF
Luke Maile (R) C
SP - Shane Bieber
Orioles:
Cedric Mullins (L) CF
Trey Mancini (R) DH
Anthony Santander (S) RF
Austin Hays (R) LF
Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B
Adley Rutschman (S) C
Ramon Urias (R) 3B
Rougned Odor (L) 2B
Chris Owings (R) SS
SP - Bruce Zimmermann
Statistical leaders
Guardians:
Batting average: Jose Ramirez – .292
Hits: Jose Ramirez – 50
Home runs: Jose Ramirez – 13
RBI: Jose Ramirez – 52
Wins: Nick Sandlin – 4
Saves: Emmanuel Clase – 7
ERA: Triston McKenzie – 2.65
Orioles:
Batting average: Trey Mancini – .305
Hits: Trey Mancini – 57
Home runs: Anthony Santander – 9
RBI: Anthony Santander – 29
Wins: Cionel Perez – 4
Saves: Jorge Lopez – 6
ERA: Jordan Lyles – 4.50
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert MLB picks today. And if you enjoyed this Cleveland Guardians - Baltimore Orioles preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and predictions.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
