Angels vs Guardians: Game 2, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The Los Angeles Angels fell to the Cleveland Guardians in the opening game of their three-game series yesterday. After a slugfest that saw five home runs and 14 runs between the two squads, Cleveland ultimately prevailed, 8-6.

Mike Trout recorded his second home runs of the season in the first inning while Logan O'Hoppe made things interesting with his solo blast in the ninth. However, Guardians cornerstone Jose Ramirez asserted his dominance and ultimately had the last laugh as he smashed three home runs in the contest. He finished the night by going 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

Angels vs Guardians recent form and records

Contrary to expectations ahead of the season, the Anaheim-based squad currently holds a winning record at 4-3 and are just behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West standings.

The Guardians, meanwhile, are currently tied for the lead the AL Central in spite of a losing 3-4 record. Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City share the same win-loss tally while the White Sox and the Twins are at 2-5.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

LAA: Jack Kochanowicz (0-0, 3.00 ERA), CLE: Tanner Bibee (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Cleveland Guardians

Guardians starter Tanner Bibee had a sensational start against the Kansas City Royals last March 30. The 26-year-old gave up just two hits and issued two walks with two strikeouts in the game. Bibee has a career tally of 23-12 with a 3.19 ERA. It would be interesting to see how he handles a glass cannon Anaheim squad which has a heavy emphasis on its offense.

Must-watch Hitters

Los Angeles Angels

Backstop Logan O'Hoppe is slowly establishing himself as one of the focal points in the team's offense. He currently has three home runs and is batting .250 across five games this year. During the team's opening games against Cleveland, O'Hoppe was successful in smashing a solo bomb against All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase to keep the Angels in the game.

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Angels vs Guardians baseball betting odds

Saturday, 4/5	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
LAA	+134	+1.5, -135	O 7.5, -127
CLE	-149	-1.5, +112	U 7.5, +102

Angels vs Guardians expert picks and game prediction

Although Anaheim kept Game 1 close against Cleveland, it should be noted that the Guardians will utilize their ace Tanner Bibee for Game 2. The inflated 14-run Game 1 sum should stabilize to lesser total runs between the two sides.

Anaheim should rely from production across the board if they hope to stifle Bibee's confidence on the mound. On the other hand, the Guardians should help out star Jose Ramirez—who has single-handedly carried the offense in the opening game if they want to clinch the series against the home squad.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Neelabhra Roy