Guardians vs. Angels MLB Picks: Can Ohtani Mow Down Cleveland?

The third contest of a four-game set between the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Angels is slated for Wednesday night, with Shohei Ohtani on the hill for the home side. Let's examine the matchup in our Guardians-Angels picks.

The Angels are sizzling both in their series against the Cleveland Guardians and overall, going 7-3 in the team's last 10 games. And now it's Sho-Time again.

The baseball-throwing and clubbing unicorn will be on the mound for the Angels on Wednesday, looking to secure his team's fourth straight win. A victory would also seal the series against Cleveland after Los Angeles took the first two games 4-1 and 3-0.

Meanwhile, the Guardians are in a tailspin with their offense cratering. They've lost five straight games, including three-plus run defeats in four of those contests.

Will Ohtani feast on a slumping squad? Or can Jose Ramirez drag Cleveland's offense out of its slumber?

Here are my Guardians-Angels picks and predictions for their MLB matchup on Wednesday (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Guardians vs. Angels Game Info

Date: Wednesday, April 27, 9:38 p.m. ETLocation: Angels Stadium, Anaheim, CAWeather: 63 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, 7-mph winds

Guardians vs. Angels Odds

Guardians vs. Angels Odds Analysis

The Angels are favored across the board with a slight variation in the odds.

FanDuel lists them at -215, while DraftKings Sportsbook is offering -220 odds and Caesars pegs Los Angeles at -210. The run line is the place to find value for Angels backers, and Caesars is offering the best odds at +100. The Angels are predictably drawing much of the betting action, with 88% of the cash and 80% of the tickets going their way.

Meanwhile, the total is consistent at 7.5, without much change in the odds. However, there's less of a betting consensus here, with the Under leading with only 55% of the cash and 56% of the tickets.

Guardians vs. Angels Projected Pitchers

Zach Plesac (1-1, 1.53 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) vs. Shohei Ohtani (1-2, 4.40 ERA, 1.05 WHIP)

Plesac has been enjoying a promising start to the season while allowing only three earned runs over three outings. That stretch includes holding the San Fransico Giants—who lead the league in runs—to two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings. However, he doesn't strike out many batters and has notched a modest 10 punchouts over 17.2 innings.

Then there's Ohtani, who's still a lab creation. He carried a perfect game into the seventh inning his last time out against the Houston Astros, striking out 12 batters while allowing only two baserunners (one hit and one walk). He's producing an absurd 16.3 strikeouts per nine innings so far.

Guardians vs. Angels Picks

Spread: Angels -1.5 (+100 via Caesars) ????Over/Under: Under 7.5 (-110 via FanDuel) ????Player Prop: Ohtani Over 8 strikeouts (+360 via FanDuel) ????

SEE ALSO: Red Sox-Blue Jays Picks

Guardians vs. Angels Spread Pick

Angels -1.5 (+100)

The Angels have been suffocating Cleveland's offense.

The Guardians have plated just one run over the two games in this series so far while being outscored 7-1. The Angels haven't walloped their opposition, earning a three-run victory in both contests. But there's been little threat from Cleveland, which has produced a meager seven hits in the series.

That offensive silence is the result of a team with little working right now beyond the scorching Jose Ramirez, and that will continue on Wednesday. The Guardians' .708 team OPS ranks a middling 13th leaguewide, and they've tallied a mere eight runs over their five-game losing streak.

The Angels' offense has been performing at a higher level, ranking fourth in runs scored (86) and second in OPS (.756). They haven't been dominating Cleveland, but the Angels have been scoring enough while winning with pitching and defense.

Check out our top-rated sportsbooks here

Guardians vs. Angels O/U Pick

Under 7.5 (-106)

Ohtani is his own spectacle, but Plesac should do his part to keep the score low, too.

The right-hander has pitched into at least the sixth inning in each of his starts while maintaining a sparkling ERA, and Plesac made it through nearly seven frames his last time out. He's been limiting traffic on the bases overall and walking just two batters. Plesac may be able to record more strikeouts than usual, too, against a team that's struck out the fifth-most times in MLB so far (162).

However, when the Angels do make contact, it'll likely be of the hard variety, leading to their scoring. Plesac is giving up hard contact on 54.4% of his balls in play so far. Los Angeles has recorded six extra-base hits in the series, three of which have come from Mike Trout.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1518792122047946752

These two teams have combined for a minuscule eight runs over two games, and the ice-cold Guardians are facing the flamethrowing Ohtani. Expect a few sporadic outbursts, but not an offensive showcase.

SEE ALSO: Wednesday's MLB Best Bets

Guardians vs. Angels Prop Bet

Ohtani Over 8 strikeouts (+360)

Hammering the Over on an Ohtani strikeout prop is often a profitable experience. So let's get aggressive, because no number feels too high, even if he doesn't last long into the game.

Ohtani has recorded nine-plus strikeouts in two of his three outings so far, including 12 during his most recent gem against the Astros. He can be inconsistent at times, as he was against the Texas Rangers while lasting just 3 2/3 innings. But the two-way dynamo still tallied five strikeouts.

The Guardians' 142 team strikeouts (12th-fewest in MLB) may be respectable, but their whiffing has skyrocketed recently during the club's losing streak. Cleveland hitters have struck out 50 times across the team's last five games, including 12 on Tuesday night.

Ohtani is well-positioned to collect plenty of strikeouts. However, if this number feels a little too high, there's still value in the lower alternate strikeout line at FanDuel of Over 7 (+190). Or go the other way if you rightfully believe, as Over 9 strikeouts (+750 at FanDuel) always feels within reach for Ohtani.

SEE ALSO: World Series Odds and Picks

Where to Bet Guardians-Angels Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

FanDuel SportsbookCaesars SportsbookDraftKings SportsbookPointsBetBetMGM

SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Guardians-Angels picks made 4/27/2022 at 1:15 p.m. ET.