Can The Guardians Survive With Weak Starting Rotation?
Guardians vs Marlins Predictions: But Miami is Terrible

We’ve got an epic mismatch on our hands. Over the weekend, the 40-21 Cleveland Guardians will face the 21-41 Miami Marlins in a three-game series. Although the Guardians have been playing great baseball, they have two pitchers in the starting rotation with ERAs above 5.50. Both these starters will get the ball in two of the three games in this series.
Does that mean the Marlins have a legitimate chance to steal a series at home against the Guardians?
The Game 1 lines are already up. That said, the Guardians are just -125 on the moneyline, while the Marlins are +105. Meanwhile, the total is at 7.5, but the Over is juiced to -120.
Here are our Guardians vs Marlins predictions for the interleague series over the weekend.
Guardians vs Marlins 
📊Records: Cleveland Guardians (40-21), Miami Marlins (21-41)
📍Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL
⏰Day/Time: 📺Streaming: Bally Sports Great Lakes, Bally Sports Florida
Will Cleveland Call Up Jhonknsy Noel?
Jhonkensy Noel is the latest Guardians prospect tearing it up in the minors. In May, Noel hit .296 with an OPS of .978.
Although he’s been red-hot recently, he struggled to get going early. Ultimately, that’s why the Guardians brought up Kyle Manzardo at the beginning of May and added Jonathan Rodriguez to the club a few weeks ago before demoting him back to Triple-A.
Even Daniel Schneemann made his Major League debut earlier this season.
Therefore, the Guardians won’t hesitate to call up a prospect if they believe he’ll help win now. Noel won’t get the call yet, but keep an eye on the top-30 Cleveland prospect.
More Rotation Moves
The Marlins have decided on Roddery Munoz to make another start on Saturday. He’ll take over Sixto Sanchez’s spot in the rotation shortly. While he’s shown flashes of excellence, Munoz has a 5.17 ERA in 15.2 innings this season.
Still, he’s added 19 strikeouts with only seven walks in that time frame.
Eventually, Max Meyer will return to the rotation. Reports state he’s getting closer to a return and could bolster a Miami rotation depleted by MLB injuries. Maybe that helps their Miami Marlins standings placement.
Guardians vs Marlins Predictions & Odds For Game 1:
RL: Guardians -1.5 (+136) ML: Guardians -125, O/U 7.5 -120/+100
⚾ Game 1 ⚾
Friday, 7:10 pm ET
Logan Allen vs. Ryan Weathers
The Guardians will roll with lefty Logan Allen for Game 1 of the series. He has a 5.83 ERA but also has a 6-3 record to start the season.
Allen has limited walks but isn’t getting many strikeouts. He’s also allowed a .235 ISO and wOBA of .389 while struggling badly against righties this season. Allen has lucked out with his record but ultimately can’t sustain the success he’s had with these types of stats.
Meanwhile, it’s been a struggle for the Marlins against lefties. Luckily, the Marlins have Christian Bethancourt back from the bereavement list. He’s one of the few consistent hitters against lefties right now.
On the other hand, Ryan Weathers will get the call for the Marlins. The lefty has held teams to a .132 ISO and wOBA of .288. He’s been the rock of the rotation, holding just a 3.41 ERA.
The Guardians have power against lefties between David Fry, Jose Ramirez, and Will Brennan. However, the lineup strikes out much more against lefties than against righties. They don’t have nearly as much potential going up against lefties, especially over the last 30 days.
Therefore, the Under 7.5 (+100) is one of our main MLB predictions today.
⚾ Game 2 ⚾
Saturday, 7:35 pm ET
Ben Lively vs. Roddery Munoz
Ben Lively will be the only consistent arm for the Guardians in this series. He’s a righty with a 2.84 ERA and has deserved all of it. He’s held batters to a .310 wOBA and has struck out 23.2% of batters with just 7.4% of walks allowed.
You’d like to see his ground ball rate get higher and his line drive rate decrease, but overall, Lively has done a solid job for Cleveland this season.
Ultimately, the projected lineup against righties for the Marlins has just three batters with an ISO of above .188 over the last 30 days. The Marlins would have abysmal power without Jazz Chisholm, Josh Bell, and Bryan De La Cruz. It’s still bad, even with those three in the lineup.
Conversely, the Marlins will pitch Roddery Munoz. He’s had three starts with the Marlins and has allowed a .591 ISO and wOBA of .505 to his first 25 lefties. While he’s got strikeout potential, when lefties make contact, Munoz gives up super hard contact in the air.
Against righties, the Guardians’ projected lineup has hit a .180 ISO and wOBA of .341 with only 15.3% of strikeouts and 9.8% of walks. They’re patient against righties and have a bunch of powerful bats, including Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor. Those two should make the MLB All-Star Game this year. They’re also left-handed bats.
The Guardians would be one of the best MLB bets today.
⚾ Game 3 ⚾
Sunday, 1:40 pm ET
Carlos Carrasco vs. Trevor Rogers
The Guardians will give veteran righty Carlos Carrasco the ball in the series finale. He’s been awful against both sides of the plate, collectively allowing a .222 ISO and wOBA of .372. Carrasco has also struck out just 17.9% of batters this year.
He’ll battle out the potential rubber match with Trevor Rogers, a lefty for the Marlins. Rodgers has been so bad that he’s struggled to get lefties out this season. He’s holding a 5.68 ERA and is 1-7 on the season.
Our Guardians vs Marlins predictions include the Cleveland outright on Sunday.
Guardians vs Marlins Odds
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