Cleveland Guardians vs Baltimore Orioles Picks and Predictions August 3rd 2024

From Progressive Field in Cleveland, we have the Orioles and Guardians facing off in an AL matchup. This one gets started at 7:15 PM ET and will be televised on FOX. The Guardians are on a five-game winning streak and are 1st in the AL Central, while the Orioles have lost two straight and are 1st in the AL East.

Baltimore is currently favored on the money line, and the odds have them at -131 compared to the Guardians at +111. Saturday’s forecast in Cleveland calls for light rain and temperatures in the mid-70s. Zach Eflin is starting for the Orioles, and he is facing off against Joey Cantillo.

Baltimore vs. Cleveland Key Information

Baltimore is sending right-hander Zach Eflin to the mound today as he faces the Guardians on the road. Eflin has made 20 starts this year and has a record of 6-7 with an ERA of 4.11. In his last outing, he picked up the win, going six innings and giving up three earned runs on 10 hits. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. Eflin’s ERA on the road is 5.41, compared to 2.65 at home. So far, he has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 7.29 strikeouts per nine innings.

As a team, the Orioles are the top home run hitting team in the league and are also near the top of the league in runs scored, averaging 5 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .254, which is the 5th best mark in the league. One of the reasons they are such a good offensive team is their league-leading isolated power mark of .197.

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Anthony Santander has been a big power threat for the Orioles this season, as his 32 homers are 3rd best in the league. He is also 7th in the league with 75 RBIs. Gunnar Henderson has also been a key power threat for the Orioles, as his 28 homers is 2nd on the team and 5th best in the league. Over his last eight games, Santander is hitting .276 with three homers, while Colton Cowser is batting .364 over that stretch.

Joey Cantillo will be making his first start of the season at home against the Orioles. He started on the road against the Phillies and took a no-decision, going 3 1/3 innings and giving up 3 earned runs on 4 hits.

Heading into today’s game, the Guardians offense is averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 4.9 runs per game. Overall, they are 12th in home runs and have the league’s 12th best team batting average at .242. Cleveland’s offense has been led by José Ramírez and Josh Naylor, with Ramírez’s 91 RBIs being the 2nd best mark in the league, and Naylor’s 77 RBIs being the 6th best in the MLB. Ramírez also leads the team with 28 homers and is batting .276 for the season.

Currently, both Andrés Giménez and Josh Naylor are on some nice hitting streaks, with Giménez hitting in seven straight games and Naylor in six. Naylor has been especially hot of late, going 8/15 in his last four games, including a home run and five RBIs. Ramírez has also been swinging a hot bat, going 7/17 in his last five games with four homers.

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over, as this is projected to be the 7th highest-scoring game of today’s slate. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Guardians to pick up the win. Cleveland’s offense is our 4th highest-rated in terms of hits, and Joey Cantillo is projected to have a good outing in terms of strikeouts.

Guardians Look to Keep ‘Line Moving’ in Clash vs. Orioles

The Cleveland Guardians are in a score again, and that’s what may be required this end of the week to keep the force. The Guardians will attempt to reach at least a six-game series of wins for the third time this season when they take on the meeting Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.

Recent Performances

Cleveland has won the first two contests of this four-game series. Baltimore’s pitching hasn’t been up to the task in the series, with the Guardians winning 10-3 on Thursday and 8-4 on Friday.

“We kept the line moving,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Guys weren’t trying to do too much. Ran the bases really well. It seems like we’re running with our heads up, and guys are doing a great job.”

The Orioles were held to four singles in the second game of the series, with the Guardians using six pitchers.

“That’s a great lineup over there,” Vogt said. Despite Baltimore losing eight of its last 13 games, the Guardians are 4-1 against the Orioles this season.

Orioles’ New Talent

Third baseman Coby Mayo made his major league debut for the Orioles on Friday night, going 0-for-2 with two walks and scoring a run.

“It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Mayo said. “Really a special moment for my family.”

Now it looks as if the Orioles will rely on young players such as Mayo and infielder Jackson Holliday, who has been baseball’s top prospect, to make a difference.

“We’re hoping the talent can rise up,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “This is a really, really tough game, especially at this level, especially at this time of the year with pressure and everything that goes along with it. Hopefully, these guys can just relax and let their talent take over.”

Mayo will fill in for injured third baseman Jordan Westburg, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a broken right hand.

“I’m not looking for him to replace Jordan Westburg,” Hyde said. “Jordan Westburg was an All-Star. I really just want Coby to be himself.”

Pitching Matchup: Eflin vs. Cantillo

Right-hander Zach Eflin (6-7, 4.11 ERA) will make his second start for the Orioles since he was acquired in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays. In a span of nearly a month, he has faced only two teams — the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees, each twice.

Eflin was the winner Monday vs. Toronto, logging six innings and surviving 10 hits while allowing three runs and striking out seven in an 11-5 victory. He has faced Cleveland only once in his career, suffering a loss last season while allowing six runs on nine hits in three innings.

Cleveland has rookie lefty Joey Cantillo (0-0, 8.10 ERA) slated to start in what will be just his second game in the big leagues. The 24-year-old gave up three runs in 3 1/3 innings Sunday in his team’s 4-3 win at Philadelphia.

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Key Players and Game Outlook

First baseman Josh Naylor of the Guardians has had different hits in three of his last four games. He delivered three hits Friday night, marking his fourth three-hit outing of the season.

In Baltimore’s last four misfortunes, the Orioles have given up at least eight runs in all of those games.

As Cleveland hopes to broaden their series of wins, they will depend on both their predictable offense and their warm up area. Meanwhile, the Orioles trust their young talent can move forward and assist with pivoting their new battles. With the two teams making progress toward crucial triumphs, fans can anticipate an engaging and serious game on Saturday night.