As we enter May, the MLB betting action goes on with a full 15-game Sunday card, so we are taking a closer look at the American League battle from Oakland Coliseum to get you the best Guardians vs. Athletics betting pick and odds. 

Cleveland and Oakland wrap up a three-game series in California, and the Guardians are listed as small -110 moneyline favorites to win Sunday’s closer. The Athletics are +100 home underdogs, and the totals sit at 7.5 runs on Bookmaker Sportsbook.  

The Guardians snapped their skid in the opener                              

The Cleveland Guardians put an end to their seven-game losing streak this past Friday. They outlasted the A’s 9-8 as +140 road dogs, improving to 8-12 on the young season. Saturday’s middle clash has been excluded from the analysis, and the Guardians were listed as -147 favorites to win straight up. 

After getting swept by the Yankees and Angels, the Guardians found their grove at the plate and recorded 11 hits against the Athletics. They slugged three home runs, and Andres Gimenez hit his first career grand slam. 

Triston McKenzie will toe the slab Sunday at Oakland Coliseum, searching for his first win in 2022. The talented 24-year-old right-hander is 0-2 with a solid 3.71 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, and 17/6 K/BB ratio in three starts and one relief appearance this season (17 innings pitched). Last Tuesday, McKenzie yielded four earned runs on seven hits across 5.2 frames and took a loss in a 4-1 defeat at the Los Angeles Angels. 

The A’s iffy form continues      

The Oakland Athletics fell to 10-10 on the season following that narrow loss to the Guardians this past Friday. They blew a three-run lead, as two relievers surrendered a couple of earned runs each. It was Oakland’s fourth defeat in its last six outings, and the A’s have been pretty unpredictable so far this season. 

Oakland is scoring exactly four runs per game (19th in the MLB). The Athletics rank 26th in the majors in batting average (.211) and 23rd in OPS (.622). On the other side of the ball, they are yielding 3.85 runs per contest (14th). 

James Kaprielian will have his season debut Sunday, as he’s recovered from a shoulder injury. The 28-year-old righty went 8-5 with a 4.07 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 1.22 WHIP, and 123/41 K/BB ratio in 21 starts and three relief appearances in 2021 (119.1 innings pitched). He’s never met Cleveland before. 

Trends:

Cleveland: 

  • 4-1 in the last five road games against Oakland   

Oakland:

  • 2-4 in the last six games overall 

Cleveland Guardians vs. Oakland Athletics Pick 

I’m not sure if James Kaprielian is ready to go deep into this clash, while the Athletics’ bullpen has recorded a 4.08 ERA over the last ten days. On the other side, Triston McKenzie will look to bounce back from a rough outing at Angel Stadium, and keep in mind that the Angels’ offense is one of the hottest in the majors. 

Cleveland’s bullpen has registered a 3.11 ERA and 2.81 FIP in the past ten days. Jose Ramirez (247 OPS+) has gone 5-for-11 with three home runs and seven RBIs over his previous three appearances, so I’m backing the Guardians to win. 

Pick: Take Cleveland Guardians at -110                    

The Total:

I’m a bit surprised with a 7.5-run line. Both Cleveland and Oakland have struggled at the dish lately, but they combined for 17 runs in Friday’s opening game of the series. Although we shouldn’t see another firecracker, the Guardians and A’s could easily surpass 7.5-run chalk. 

They used four relievers on Friday each. As I’ve mentioned, the A’s might need to piggyback James Kaprielian, and their bullpen has already ruined the opener. Hereof, I lean toward the over. 

Pick: Go over 7.5 runs at +100