by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Aug 20, 2021
Game time: 4:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Where to watch: Bally Sports West, Bally Sports Great Lakes
Season-to-date (entering Friday)
Angels: 62-61 (4th place, AL West)
Indians: 58-61 (2nd place, AL Central)
Recent form (entering Friday)
Angels: 5-5 in last 10, won three straight
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
Jose Iglesias (R) SS
Jo Adell (R) LF
Brandon Marsh (L) CF
Kurt Suzuki (R) C
Juan Lagares (R) RF
Indians:
Myles Straw (R) CF
Amed Rosario (R) SS
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Franmil Reyes (R) DH
Bradley Zimmer (L) RF
Wilson Ramos (R) C
Daniel Johnson (L) LF
Yu Chang (R) 1B
Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
Probable starting pitchers: Reid Detmers (LAA) vs. Triston McKenzie (CLE)
Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Indians -135, Angels +115
BetMGM: Indians -135, Angels +110
FanDuel: Indians -142, Angels +120
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Angels - Indians preview
The Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels will play Game 2 of their three-game set Saturday in Cleveland.
The teams began their series Friday, with the Angels coming off a scintillating 13-10 come-from-behind win Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, finishing with a three-game sweep. The Indians failed to win a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, but did carry the finale into extra innings before falling short.
At time of publishing, Game 2 is still going on. The Indians got off to a fast start in the first two innings with five runs and already nine hits through the first third of the game. Jaime Barria allowed all five runs and even got into a bases-loaded jam in the third before escaping.
The Indians entered Friday losing six of their previous nine. Jose Ramirez entered Friday with a team-leading 27 home runs and 75 RBI. He’s also five doubles away from the ever-popular 30-30 campaign.
Cleveland trails the Chicago White Sox by 11.5 games in the American League Central entering Friday, and also 9.5 behind the Oakland Athletics.
That Angels win against the Tigers was the icing on the cake for what’s already been a weird season for the Halos. Without Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, the Angels have hovered around the .500 mark for what seems like months.
Shohei Ohtani to the rescue. The pitcher/hitter superstar recorded a hit for the 10th time in 11 games Friday; he may only have three homers in that time, but Ohtani has been their best pitcher, as well as their best run producer.
The Angels will be much better at full strength next year. For now, it’s just another strugglebus type of season for them, currently 10 games behind the Houston Astros for first place, and 7.5 games back of the Oakland Athletics for a wild card spot.
Betting trends
The Indians are 15-15 (-3.3) when the moneyline is -100 to -150.
As a favorite, the Indians have a mark of 32-17 (+7.6).
The Indians are 3-3 when McKenzie pitches when the moneyline is between -100 and -150, but are 7-10 in all of his starts.
Prediction
While the Angels got off to a rough start in the early parts of Game 1, we think the Angels will find a way to bounce back in Game 2. Ohtani will find a way to make an impact in this game, and it feels like the perfect matchup to have him go deep yet again. Angels win 8-5
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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.
