Cleveland Guardians vs. Los Angeles Angels Odds & Pick

Cleveland Guardians (7-8) vs. Los Angeles Angels (9-7)

When: 9:38 p.m., Monday, April 25

Where: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Calif.

Moneyline: CLE -125/LAA +105

Runline: Guardians -1.5/Angels +1.5

Total: 8

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Starting Pitchers: Shane Bieber (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 0.69 WHIP) vs. Michael Lorenzen (1-1, 4.82 ERA, 0.86 WHIP)

Early Successes

Whenever Shane Bieber goes to the mound, there’s a good chance that things are going to go Cleveland’s way, at least in the early going. The Guardians’ ace has been one of the best pitchers in the game in recent years and rarely has a poor outing when he takes the hill, making Cleveland first five an excellent way to bet when he’s pitching.

In three games this season, the Guardians have outscored their opposition by 22-9 over the span of three Bieber starts, and the pitcher is coming off a four-hit performance in which he gave up just a single run to the White Sox in an 11-1 rout. The fact that you can get the Guardians at -105 on the first five inning moneyline is surprising, but it’s a welcome surprise, because if he’s pitching well, it’s going to be hard for the Angels to get much of anything off of him.

Pace of the Game

The Angels are still trying to determine the way that they want to go with Michael Lorenzen, as they’re not sure if he’s going to be a starter or a long-term opener with the way that he’s pitched this season. In either case, he’s going to start games instead of come in for a relief situation, and the results seem to be a mixed bag so far.

In his first start, Lorenzen was dominant against Miami, holding the Marlins to a mere one run in six innings of work. But in facing Houston, he looked a lot more vulnerable, getting chased from the game in the fourth inning of an 8-3 loss. The good news for Lorenzen is that the Angels’ lineup and being a starter usually allows him a couple more free errors than he would have had when he was pitching out of the bullpen in Cincinnati. The bad news is that he’s still not shown he can make the transition successful, and until he does, questions are always going to persist.

Launching the Ball

Speaking of areas where questions are going to persist, the Angels’ lineup appears to be starting to move toward becoming a consistent strength for the squad beyond just Shohei Ohtnai and Mike Trout. The Angels have hit 21 home runs this season, a number that ranks second only to the Toronto Blue Jays’ powerful young lineup.

Plus, the Angels have started to pick things up as far as turning lesser hits into big plays. Unusually for a team built around power, the Angels have also become a good baserunning squad, as they have 12 stolen bases to their name to rank second only to the Dodgers in that department. Cleveland is slouch either at creating offense, as the Guardians lead the majors in triples with seven. Triples only happen with a perfect mix of opportunity and hustle, and right now, these teams are putting both forward.

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Betting Trends

• The Guardians are 4-1 in their past five games against the AL West.
• The Guardians are 20-8 in their past 28 games as a favorite.
• The Angels are 6-2 in their past eight games as an underdog.
• The Angels are 5-11 in their past 16 games overall.
• The over is 4-0 in the Guardians’ past four after a loss.
• The over is 6-1 in the Guardians’ past seven road games.
• The over is 6-2-2 in the Angels’ past 10 games overall.
• The over is 5-0 in the Angels’ past five games as the underdog.
• The Guardians have won five of six in Los Angeles.
• The Guardians are 39-16 in the past 55 meetings.

Weather Report

The wind is heading the right direction, as it’s going out to right-center, but the breeze will only blow seven miles per hour. With 84 degree temperatures in the forecast, it should be neutral conditions.

Dan’s Pick

Anytime Cleveland sends Bieber to the mound, it’s almost automatic that you’re going to be putting your money on him. Baseball is one of the harder sports to bet because of the randomness of the sport, but also because of how one starter can completely change a game. Bieber is in that upper tier that can take over any game he pitches.

I’m backing the Guardians to get the lead here and get out with a first-five victory. I’m backing Cleveland here. Bet your MLB games for FREE this week by taking advantage of a 100% real cash bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $300 at MyBookie Sportsbook! Simply use bonus code PREDICT100 when you register and deposit into your new betting account and you’ll receive the special bonus! Click here to get your bonus now!