by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2022
Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
Venue: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
Where to watch: Bally Sports Great Lakes, Bally Sports SoCal
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Angels -200, Guardians +170
BetMGM: Angels -200, Guardians +165
Caesars: Angels -208, Guardians +180
Season record
Guardians: 7-9
Angels: 10-7
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Guardians - Angels preview and analysis
I don’t think anyone expected the Cleveland Guardians to keep this kind of play up for the entire season, but here’s what we’ve determined as they take on the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.
For one thing, when they’re hitting well, they’re just ridiculous. When they hit that 10-run mark like they did multiple times this season, it’s truly something to behold.
The other thing, however, is when they go cold, the Guardians go beyond freezing. Case in point, during the Angels’ 4-1 win over the Guardians on Tuesday, Cleveland was held to just one run – that didn’t come until the top of the ninth – and were held to just four hits and gave Triston McKenzie no help despite going 5.2 innings and striking out six.
Now, the Guardians have to face Shohei Ohtani and hope that he doesn’t go full nuclear on both sides of the plate.
"He threw a ton of strikes," Guardians manager Terry Francona said of McKenzie. "He started the game off 18 of 19 (pitches for strikes). That's maybe too many to start if you want to be too picky. When he made a mistake it was right over the middle of the plate and it ended up hurting him."
One of those mistakes was Mike Trout hitting a homer and driving in three of the Angels’ four runs in helping Los Angeles to their best start since 2017. Trout, who started off this season batting well below .250, now has a nine-game hitting streak and is batting .412 during that run.
The thing that hindered the Angels the past few years has been the lack of consistency in starting pitching. With Ohtani being the reigning AL MVP and bringing it as well as he has, along with the addition of Noah Syndergaard, the Angels have a combination that’s working right now. And if Trout can get back to his MVP form, there aren’t many teams that can hang with the Angels.
"I'm just very confident. That's up to you guys if I am at peak level, but I feel good up there and obviously healthy," said Trout, who is batting .347 through the first three weeks of the season with five home runs and eight RBI.
Part of that pitching rotation is also Patrick Sandoval, who pitched seven stellar innings of two-hit ball while striking out nine. It was Sandoval’s first win of the season after going four innings in his first two starts. He hasn’t given up a run in 15 innings of work.
“It was definitely better than the last two starts. There’s still room to improve for sure, but it’s a good step in the right direction,” said Sandoval, who went at least seven innings for the fourth time in 32 career starts. “Limiting walks is definitely the biggest thing for me because I want to go deeper into games.”
Keep on pitching like that, despite it being an inconsistent group he faced on Tuesday, and things will look promising for the pitcher.
As for Wednesday’s matchup, it’s going to be Zach Plesac and his 1.53 ERA taking the mound for Cleveland against Ohtani coming off an absolutely dominant performance last week against Houston. Ohtani took a perfect game into the seventh inning, giving up only one hit and striking out 12. After giving up seven runs in his first two starts, he’s likely due for another dominant outing.
Prediction
The situation must call for a great team to beat Ohtani. The Guardians are not a good team. Angels win 7-0
Betting trends
Guardians are 8-19 the past three seasons when a road dog of +150 or more.
Guardians are 5-15 the past three seasons as a dog between +175 and +250.
Angels are 21-8 the past three seasons as a home favorite between -150 and -200.
Angels are 14-14 in Ohtani's starts the past three seasons.
Projected lineup
Guardians:
Myles Straw (R) CF
Amed Rosario (R) SS
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Franmil Reyes (R) DH
Owen Miller (R) 1B
Oscar Mercado (R) RF
Ernie Clement (R) LF
Austin Hedges (R) C
Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
SP - Zach Plesac
Myles Straw (R) CF
Amed Rosario (R) SS
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Franmil Reyes (R) DH
Owen Miller (R) 1B
Oscar Mercado (R) RF
Ernie Clement (R) LF
Austin Hedges (R) C
Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
SP - Zach Plesac
Angels:
Taylor Ward (R) RF
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mike Trout (R) CF
Jared Walsh (L) 1B
Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
Brandon Marsh (L) LF
Matt Duffy (R) 2B
Kurt Suzuki (R) C
Andrew Velazquez (S) SS
SP - Shohei Ohtani
Taylor Ward (R) RF
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mike Trout (R) CF
Jared Walsh (L) 1B
Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
Brandon Marsh (L) LF
Matt Duffy (R) 2B
Kurt Suzuki (R) C
Andrew Velazquez (S) SS
SP - Shohei Ohtani
Statistical leaders
Guardians:
Batting average: Jose Ramirez -- .344
Hits: Jose Ramirez -- 22
Home runs: Jose Ramirez -- 4
RBI: Jose Ramirez -- 21
Wins: Many tied -- 1
Saves: Emmanuel Clase -- 2
ERA: Zach Plesac - 1.53
Angels:
Batting average: Mike Trout -- .347
Hits: Mike Trout -- 17
Home runs: Mike Trout -- 5
RBI: Brandon Marsh -- 14
Wins: Two tied -- 2
Saves: Raisel Iglesias -- 4
ERA: N/A
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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.
