Guardians vs. Athletics Prediction and Odds for Friday, April 29th (Struggling Offenses Give Multiple Bets Value)

The 7-12 Cleveland Guardians bring a seven-game losing streak into Oakland today as they begin a three-game series with the 10-9 Athletics tonight at 9:40 PM EST.

Both offenses are really struggling, with the Guardians averaging just two runs per game in their losing streak and the Athletics totaling only six runs combined in their previous five matchups.

Cleveland will send Aaron Civale and his 9.28 ERA to the mound. Civale has been absolutely dreadful to start the season, failing to make it past the fourth inning in any of his three starts while giving up at least four runs in each.

Frankie Montas gets the call from Oakland and after a brutal first start of the campaign, he's thrown a quality start in each of his last three outings.

Can Montas keep his momentum rolling or will the Cleveland bats finally wake up?

Let's check out the odds from WynnBET to pick a winner in this Guardians vs Athletics matchup:

Guardians vs Athletics Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

• Guardians +1.5 (-180)
• Athletics -1.5 (+150)

Moneyline:

• Guardians: +140
• Athletics: -150

Total:

• 6.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Guardians vs Athletics Prediction and Pick

Sheesh, this is a low total. But I guess that's what you get when you pair two of the worst offenses in the sport right now.

It's a bit difficult to overstate just how disgusting these lineups are performing. Oakland has scored more than two runs just twice in the last two weeks while Cleveland has cooled off from a torrid start to suddenly become allergic to runs. I still believe in the talent in the Guardians lineup though, and they still rank 12th in the MLB in OPS.

But Montas is an animal. He's improved in each start he's made, capped off by an eight-strikeout, two-run gem against the Rangers his last time out. He has a history of success against the Guardians too. In his last four starts against Cleveland, he's surrendered only five runs in 24 innings while striking out 29.

With how Civale has been performing, I like the Athletics to scratch out some runs to get the win. They have a top-10 bullpen and a huge starting pitching advantage, so their run line has some value.

But I think it'll take a couple of innings to get to Civale. Montas has an incredible 37-10 NRFI (No Run First Inning) record since 2020 and with a pitiful offense behind him, I think that improves to 38-10. The A's will win, but it's going to take a little while for their lineup to get to Civale while Montas shuts the Guardians down.

Pick: Athletics -1.5 (+150) and No Run First Inning (-145)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.