Cleveland at Los Angeles

Parker Messick takes the mound for Cleveland fresh off a start that deserved a better outcome: six and two-thirds innings, one run allowed against San Francisco, and still a loss. That has been the pattern for this rotation lately, and the offense has started making up for it. I had Cleveland on the moneyline out in Colorado three days ago, and it delivered easily, a 9-1 win that has the Guardians riding a four-game streak into tonight's series opener in Anaheim. George Klassen threw a gem in his last outing for the Angels, seven shutout innings against Houston, but that came in a five-start sample that carries a bloated walk rate overall, and the Angels as a team are a well-below-.500 club. Cleveland's team ERA sits roughly half a run better than the Angels', and a road favorite coming off a win to open a series is exactly the kind of spot that has worked for this club recently. Cleveland is the right side on the moneyline tonight.