Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland Guardians, Preview, Prediction and Odds | August 1, 2024

The Baltimore Orioles will be glad to turn the page on the month of July when they head to Progressive Field to play the Cleveland Guardians in this important battle between division leaders. Both teams enter the series hot, with Cleveland riding a three-game winning streak, while the Orioles have won four of five.

But these teams win in different ways. The Orioles lean toward balance–their lineup is tough when they get rolling, but they can also win the pitching duels that normally occur when playing the Guardians. Baltimore shuffled their roster a little at the deadline to overcome the loss of All-Star third basemen Jordan Westburg, who broke his hand against Toronto when he was hit by a pitch.

Cleveland, meanwhile, generally wins with strong pitching. That includes tonight’s starter Ben Lively, who has given up just five runs in his last three games. Lively comes in with an ERA of 3.44, so he’ll be a tough matchup,  especially since the Orioles are going with perennial favorite “Undecided” as their starter.

Baltimore Orioles vs. Cleveland Guardians Odds

Baltimore Orioles vs. Cleveland Guardians Match Details

• Fixture: Baltimore Orioles vs. Cleveland Guardians
• Date and Time: Thursday, August 1, 2024@6:40PM
• Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio

Apex Tale of the Tape

Key Stats

Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore finished under the .500 mark for the month of July, and they enter this series with the red-hot Yankees just a half-game out. The Yankees will likely feast on the Blue Jays this weekend when they welcome Toronto to New York, so the Orioles will face a major challenge in their ongoing, back-and-forth battle with the Yanks.

The O’s relied on offense to pound Toronto into submission as they took three of four, scoring 27 runs in their three wins. The stars were rookie Jackson Holliday, who posted a grand slam in yesterday’s 10-4 win, while Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander also enjoyed feasting on the Blue Jays’ mediocre pitching. They probably won’t hit like that against Cleveland, but staff ace Corbin Burnes contributed as well, giving up just two runs while going 6.2 innings in his 6-2 win.

Cleveland Guardians

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The Guardians have a cushy six-game lead over the Twins and Royals going into this series, so it’s natural for them to have some series where they look completely flat. But Cleveland’s strong pitching allows them to win series, and they’re coming off a two-game sweep against the Tigers.

Look for them to be up for the challenge against Baltimore. Third baseman Jose Ramirez comes in hot, having delivered three home runs in his last two games against Detroit. He moved up to pass Albert Belle on the team’s all-time HR list with 243, while leadoff man Steven Kwan boasts a gaudy .332 average. Combine that with a strong rotation, and it’s easy to see why the Guardians are an impressive 23 games over .500.

Prediction

The money line is the same for both teams, but the pitching matchup here screams “go with the Guardians,” especially with the Orioles leaving the starting slot open going in. Leading with Ben Lively and Carlos Carrasco gives Cleveland a great chance to win the first two games and at least get a series split, and the Guardians are also coming off a much needed day off going into the dog days of August. We’ll capitalize on the attractive moneyline of -110 and go with Cleveland.

Final Pick

Cleveland Guardians – Moneyline – (-110)

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