Cleveland Guardians vs. Los Angeles Angels April 26 Betting Preview

After dropping the first game of the series, the Cleveland Guardians (7-9) will try to avoid five straight losses Tuesday as they travel to Angel Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Angels (10-7). First pitch for this contest is scheduled for 9:38 p.m.

Cleveland’s offense was held in check in the opener Monday as Angels’ starter Michael Lorenzen and the bullpen held the Guardians to just three hits. Of those three hits, two of them were by a player making his major league debut, Richie Palacios.

On the mound, ace Shane Bieber pitched a quality start, but it still wasn’t enough as he gave up three runs in 6.1 innings of work. For the Angels, leadoff hitter Taylor Ward single-handedly beat Cleveland as he hit two home runs and had all three of the Angels’ runs batted in.

Betting Odds

Cleveland will be the underdog in Game 2 of this four-game series Tuesday. On the runline, they are +1.5 (-156), and they are +138 to win on the moneyline. The over/under for total runs is 8.5.

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Pitching Matchup

To try to stop the bleeding, Cleveland will send 24-year-old righty Triston McKenzie (0-1, 2.38 ERA) to the mound Tuesday. He has pitched in three games but has just 11.1 total innings. His last start against the White Sox was his longest, giving up one earned run in 4.1 innings of work.

Los Angeles will counter with southpaw Patrick Sandoval (0-0, 0.00 ERA). In two games, Sandoval has pitched a combined eight innings, allowing seven hits and five walks while striking out 11.

By The Numbers

Thanks to a four-game stretch where they scored 44 combined runs, the Guardians still sit in third in MLB in scoring, averaging five runs per game. In their last four games, though, they are averaging under two runs per game.

For the Angels, they rank tied for fourth averaging 4.94 runs per game (3.78 at home).

Defensively, it is again Cleveland with the edge. They rank 18th in scoring defense allowing 4.13 runs per game. The Angels rank 21st allowing 4.50 runs.

Cleveland Trying To Break Through

Cleveland is dealing with a lot of the same issues that they have dealt with in the past. Their pitching rotation looks like it is good enough to compete for the AL Central, but their offense seems inconsistent at best. At 3-7 over their last 10 games, they will look to try to break through offensively against Patrick Sandoval and pick up a win Tuesday.

Despite sitting in second place in the AL Central, a game back of the first-place Twins, the Guardians have just the third-best chances of winning the division at +850. While the season is still early, this is a great time for Cleveland to strike against what has been one of the weaker divisions in baseball this season.

The one bright star for the Indians’ offense continues to be Jose Ramirez, who leads the team with four home runs and 20 runs batted in, but even he has struggled as of late. In his last seven games, he is hitting just .200/.310/.360 with a single home run.

Angels’ Star Starting To Heat Up

Without a doubt, Mike Trout is one of the best to have ever played the game. Unfortunately for opponents, he is starting to play like it.

After missing much of last season with injuries, Trout has gotten off to a solid start in 2022. He has been especially hot at Angel Stadium, where in eight games this season he is hitting .333/.455/.704 with three home runs and three runs batted in.

One player who has surprisingly struggled at home is Shohei Ohtani. In 37 at bats at Angel Stadium this season, he is hitting just .162/.205/.189 with no home runs and no runs batted in. It is only a matter of time until he breaks out, and Cleveland just hopes it is after they leave town.

Who Is Going To Step Up Offensively?

Triston McKenzie has shown flashes of brilliance at best, and at worst, he seems like he can consistently keep the Guardians in the game. After scoring a combined seven runs in their four-game losing streak, the real question is who is going to step up offensively?

Obviously, the Guardians will hope that Jose Ramirez can play better than he has over the last week, but even beyond that, Cleveland needs others to step up as well.

When they were rolling, they were getting production up and down the lineup, including from youngsters Steven Kwan and Owen Miller. To get out of their losing streak, they will need an unsung hero to step up again.

If they can scratch a few runs across, the Guardians have a chance to take Game 2, but it will take more disciplined at bats and a solid start from McKenzie to do so.