In this article, we will formulate a Guardians vs Athletics prediction for this MLB game on Saturday, June 21, at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview

The Cleveland Guardians (37-37, 18-22 Away) were swept by the Seattle Mariners but responded with a series victory against the San Francisco Giants on the road. Cleveland failed to sweep San Francisco with a Game 3 loss, while the Guardians opened this series against the A’s with a 5-1 defeat. Angel Martinez hit a solo homer, the lone run for the Guardians, while Tanner Bibee took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on 11 hits with ten strikeouts and no walks in 8.0 innings.

This season, the Guardians average 3.77 runs per game (25th in the MLB) on a .229/.300/.371 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Guardians’ staff has a 3.92 ERA (17th) and 1.37 WHIP (23rd). Carlos Santana leads the Guardians with a .241 batting average, eight home runs, and 36 RBI this season.

Luis Ortiz will take the mound for the Guardians on Saturday. The 26-year-old right-hander has a 3-8 record in 14 starts this year with a 4.64 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 75.2 innings.

Athletics Betting Preview

The Athletics (32-46, 15-25 Home) are in fine form at the moment after winning six of the last eight games. They swept the Kansas City Royals on the road and then earned a split with the Houston Astros. In Game 1 of the current series against Cleveland, the A’s secured a 5-1 victory. Nick Kurtz led the offense with two RBI, while Jeffrey Springs got the win after allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk across 7.1 innings of work.

This year, the Athletics average 4.27 runs per game (15th in the MLB) on a .253/.320/.418 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Athletics’ staff has a 5.47 ERA (29th) and 1.50 WHIP (29th). Tyler Soderstrom leads the Athletics with a .249 batting average, 14 home runs, and 45 RBI this season.

The projected starting pitcher for the Athletics is Mitch Spence, who is 2-1 in three starts this season, with a 3.50 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 54.0 innings.

Why the Athletics will cover

The Athletics have won each of their last six Saturday night games as home underdogs against AL Central opponents.
The Guardians have lost each of their last six night games against AL West opponents.
The Guardians have failed to cover the run line in eight of their last nine night games against American League opponents that held a losing record.
The home team has covered the run line in each of the last five games between the Guardians and Athletics.
The Guardians have trailed after 5 innings in three of their last four games as road favorites.
The Guardians have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three games against American League opponents.

Total Runs Facts

Each of the Guardians’ last five games have gone UNDER the total runs line.
Each of the Athletics’ last three games as underdogs against AL Central opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in seven of the Guardians’ last eight games as road favorites against American League opponents.
The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last four night games between the Guardians and Athletics.

Matchup/League Facts

The Athletics rank 2nd in the league for hits this season (676).
The Athletics rank 29th in the league for ERA this season (5.47).
The Guardians rank 27th in the league for RBIs this season (264).
The Guardians rank T26th in the league for doubles this season (103).

Guardians vs Athletics Prediction

The Guardians won eight of the previous ten H2H encounters, including three of the last four. I am backing the Athletics to stay close and cover the +1.5 run line in this one, mainly because of the pitching matchup. Mitch Spence was impressive in his three starts this season, allowing just two runs in 15.0 innings, and I am backing him to have another strong display on Saturday. Luis Ortiz, on the other hand, allowed multiple runs in four of his previous five starts and surrendered ten runs in the last two outings. The hosts will have a nice opportunity to score 3+ runs off of him in this duel, so I am going with the Athletics to cover the run line.

Oliver Zivic's Pick: Athletics +1.5