Baltimore Orioles vs. Cleveland Guardians August 31 Betting Odds & Analysis

Clinging onto just a 1.5-game lead in the AL Central, the Cleveland Guardians will look to add another victory Wednesday as they host the Baltimore Orioles. The Guardians will host this one at Progressive Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

Cal Quantrill was able to stifle the Orioles’ offense in the opener as Cleveland won 5-1. He went six innings, allowing just one run on one hit. The bullpen followed up with three scoreless innings.

Josh Naylor hit his 16th home run of the season in the win. That was his lone hit, but he added a run and two runs batted in.

The Orioles managed just one hit in the game, a single by Ramon Urias. Ryan Mountcastle had the lone run batted in on a sacrifice fly.

Orioles vs. Guardians August 31 Betting Odds

Cleveland is the favorite to make it two in a row Wednesday. They are -172 to win while the Orioles’ moneyline sits at +144. The runline features Baltimore +1.5 (-144), and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

31-year-old righty Jordan Lyles will get the start for Baltimore. In 26 games, he is 9-9 with a 4.45 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and he has 121 strikeouts in 145.2 innings.

Triston McKenzie will get the ball for the Guardians trying to secure a series win. In 24 games, he is 9-10 with a 3.17 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and has 142 strikeouts in 147.2 innings.

By The Numbers

Offensively, the Guardians hold the edge as they rank 17th in the majors in scoring averaging 4.27 runs per game. The Orioles rank 20th averaging 4.24 runs.

Defensively, it is again Cleveland with the edge. They rank ninth in scoring defense as opponents are averaging just 4.01 runs per game against them. The Orioles rank 12th as they are allowing 4.13 runs per game to opponents.

Baltimore Looks To Improve On The Road

If the Orioles could play all of their games at home, they would undoubtedly be a playoff team. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case and while they are 37-24 at home, they are just 30-37 on the road. They will try to improve on that Wednesday.

Keep an eye on both Austin Hays Rougned Odor in this one. While they both have just one hit apiece in three at bats, their lone hits were both home runs. Hays has three runs batted in over those three at bats as well.

Overall, Anthony Santander has been Baltimore’s best hitter. In 452 at bats, he is hitting .257/.335/.456 with a team-leading 23 home runs and 73 runs batted in.

Guardians Look To Create Separation In AL Central

Despite going 6-4 in their last 10 games, the Cleveland Guardians have seen their divisional lead shrink to just 1.5 games over the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. With a critical series coming up against them in mid-September, where they will play eight total games, the Guardians would love to create separation in the division now.

Myles Straws has had a bit of success against Jordan Lyles in his career. Despite not being known for his power, he is hitting .375 in eight at bats versus the righty with two home runs and three runs batted in.

As a team, the Guardians are 10 for 34 against Lyles. Austin Hedges has also homered off of Lyles.

McKenzie Key To Wednesday Win

Despite taking a loss against the Mariners in his last start, Triston McKenzie has been really good for Cleveland this season and gives the Guardians a clear advantage on the mound Wednesday.

If he can hold the Orioles’ offense in check like Cal Quantrill did on Tuesday, Cleveland should be able to secure a series win at Progressive Field, where they are 33-25 this season.