Orioles vs. Guardians Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, August 31 (Guardians Have Pitching Edge)
By Peter Dewey
The Baltimore Orioles are eyeing a playoff spot in the American League, but they’ll have to face another playoff-caliber team in the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday.
Triston McKenzie (9-10, 3.17 ERA), who has been lights out lately for the Guardians, gets the ball against Baltimore’s Jordan Lyles (9-9, 4.45 ERA).
Cleveland needs a win with the Minnesota Twins pulling as close as a 1.5 games back in the AL Central, but this isn’t a layup against the best run line team in MLB.
Here are the odds from WynnBET for Wednesday's matchup:
Orioles vs. Guardians Odds, Run Line and Total
Orioles vs. Guardians Prediction and Pick
McKenzie hasn’t been as good in August as he was in July, but he still has a 2.14 ERA over his last 10 starts, which is much better than what Lyles has done for Baltimore.
Lyles has a 3.95 ERA in August, but he’s given up 38 hits over 27.1 innings, which leaves me concerned for his outlook against a solid Cleveland lineup. Lyles also has two starts where he failed to get out of the fifth inning after giving up four runs.
I hate betting against the Orioles, since they’ve been so great at covering run lines this season, but I’m taking McKenzie over Lyles all day. Both of these teams have elite bullpens, so I wouldn’t mind a play on the UNDER either.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.