by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Aug 19, 2021
Game time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Where to watch: Bally Sports West, Bally Sports Great Lakes, MLB Network
Season-to-date (entering Thursday)
Angels: 61-61 (4th place, AL West)
Indians: 58-61 (2nd place, AL Central)
Recent form
Angels: 5-5 in last 10
Indians: 4-6 in last 10
Projected lineup
Angels:
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
David Fletcher (R) 2B
Phil Gosselin (R) 3B
Jared Walsh (L) 1B
Justin Upton (R) LF
Jo Adell (R) RF
Brandon Marsh (L) CF
Max Stassi (R) C
Jose Iglesias (R) SS
Indians:
Myles Straw (R) CF
Amed Rosario (R) SS
Jose Ramirez (S) DH
Franmil Reyes (R) RF
Oscar Mercado (R) LF
Owen Miller (R) 1B
Yu Chang (R) 3B
Austin Hedges (R) C
Ernie Clement (R) 2B
Probable starting pitchers: Jaime Barria (LAA) vs. Sam Hentges (CLE)
Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Indians -135, Angels +115
BetMGM: Indians -115, Angels -105
PointsBet: Indians -115, Angels -105
Tom Stryker is on a 44-21 stretch with his MLB picks.Catch the rest of Tom’s picks and the rest of our MLB Best Bets at our Shop Picks page, where you can find all of today's entire Major League Baseball premium pick predictions.
Angels - Indians preview
The Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians will begin a three-game set at Progressive Field on Friday in Cleveland.
Neither team is going to make the playoffs. It’s a world that we’ll have to accept, which is a shame because the world deserves playoff Shohei Ohtani.
Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani crushed his 40th home run of the season Wednesday in a 3-1 victory against the Detroit Tigers. Starting right-hander Shohei Ohtani pitched eight stellar innings to improve to 8-1 on the mound. Couple that with a 2.79 ERA, and the MVP race may be all but decided.
In short, Shohei Ohtani is everything the world could ever hope for.
The Angels are just a group of hitters and Ohtani at this point. Without Mike Trout or Anthony Rendon in the lineup, it’s going to be a long month and a half for the Angels to close this out. The Angels are 7.5 games out of a wild card spot; their path to the playoffs will not go through the Houston Astros.
Jaime Barria is expected to take the mound for the Angels.
The Indians are coming off a rare day off after playing 20 straight days. Cleveland lost two of three to the Minnesota Twins, the finale being an 8-7 walk-off defeat on Wednesday in 11 innings. Jose Ramirez went 2-for-6 with a home run. The 28-year-old is closing in on another 30-homer season, but his .254 batting average is the lowest its been in three seasons.
Betting trends
The Indians have done well as a home favorite, being a 21-8 (+8.7) success story this season. Overall, they’re 32-17 (+7.6).
The Angels are 27-35 when an underdog of +100 or higher, and the under has gone 34-27 in that time.
L.A. is 19-37 in its last 56 Friday games.
Prediction
Cleveland’s betting success at home gives us reason to believe that this should be an easy success. But the Angels just came back from eight runs down against Detroit on Thursday, so let’s believe anything is possible with a closer look. Ohtani and the Angels will get it done in this American League matchup. Angels win 7-4.
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert baseball picks today. And if you enjoyed these Los Angeles Angels - Cleveland Indians predictions, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.
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.
