Dodgers vs Guardians Betting Odds: Cleveland’s Season Likely Beyond Saving
Powerless Lineup Much to Blame for Guardians' Failures
The Cleveland Guardians will put their faint American League playoff hopes to the test when they host the red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series, starting Tuesday. For the opener, Los Angeles is -1.5 (-122) on the run line and a -198 favorite to win outright, with Cleveland priced at +164. The projected total is 9, with the Under boosted to +100.
Read on as we break down both teams in our Dodgers vs Guardians betting odds preview.
Dodgers vs Guardians 
Day/Time:
Location: Progressive Field
Guardians’ Slim Playoff Hopes Fading
The Cleveland Guardians aren’t entirely out of the postseason picture in the American League, but their hopes continue to grow dimmer by the day. At 59-66, the Guardians are 10.5 games out of the wild card but still just 6.0 games behind the Minnesota Twins atop the AL Central MLB standings.
Is that too much to overcome? Most likely. Oddsmakers seem to agree, pricing the Guardians a +750 longshot to make the postseason. That said, the door remains open a smidge.
Of course, it doesn’t help Cleveland’s case that Los Angeles is next on the schedule, followed by three games in Toronto against the contending Blue Jays. The Guardians do have six games against the Twins between now and Sept. 6, so they’ll have a direct opportunity to make up ground in the division. But again, there’s still a lot they need to overcome.
Without question, the offense remains Cleveland’s biggest flaw. According to MLB team stats, the Guardians rank 28th in runs scored and are dead last in home runs. They’ve gone deep just 89 times, 24 fewer than the next-closest team, the Washington Nationals. It certainly doesn’t help that the Guardians remain without one of their biggest bats in first baseman Josh Naylor, who has been out since July 31 with a right oblique strain. Naylor is hitting .306 and still ranks in a tie for 13th in RBI with 79. The Guardians are just 6-12 in August without him.
LA Again in Cruise Control
The Los Angeles Dodgers — who else? — are arguably the hottest team in baseball at the moment. Los Angeles swept the Miami Marlins Saturday to run its record to 9-1 over the last 10 games and 76-47 overall. Its .618 winning percentage is second in the National League and third in MLB behind the Atlanta Braves (.650) and Baltimore Orioles (.621) entering the week.
As such, the Dodgers — who have a commanding 11.5-game lead atop the NL West — are priced at +180 to reach the World Series and +400 to win it all. In both markets, only the Braves have better odds.
While Cleveland is among baseball’s lowest-scoring teams, Los Angeles is close to the highest. The Dodgers rank third in runs scored and second in home runs. Six Dodgers have homered at least 15 times, led by outfielder Mookie Betts with 34 and third baseman Max Muncy with 29. Betts needs just one homer to match his career high from last season.
Notably, first baseman Freddie Freeman (+700) and Betts (+1000) are second and third, respectively, on the odds board for NL MVP, trailing Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., a -500 favorite, by a comfortable margin.
Odds Outlook
Los Angeles has been among the most profitable teams for bettors, with a 69-54 record against the run line. According to MLB odds, Los Angeles’ 56.1% cover rate is the fourth highest in MLB behind the Cincinnati Reds (62.4%), Orioles (62.1%), and Texas Rangers (58.1%). Cleveland, meanwhile, is 63-62 ATS but just 30-33 at home.
The Dodgers have also covered the Over at an MLB-best 58.6% clip, while the Guardians rank at the bottom at 40.2%. That’s important to remember when assessing the Dodgers vs Guardians betting odds.
âš¾ Game 1 âš¾
Noah Syndergaard vs Bobby Miller
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. ET
Noah Syndergaard, whom the Dodgers traded last month for shortstop Amed Rosario, is 2-6 with a 6.57 ERA in 16 starts (four with Cleveland). He’s allowed 11 runs across 16 innings this month, looking like a shell of his former self. His strikeout rate is a career-low 4.6 K/9 innings. The Dodgers will counter with Miller, who is 7-2 with a 3.70 ERA over his first 14 MLB starts. He’s been particularly effective on the road, going 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA.
âš¾ Game 2 âš¾
Xzavion Curry vs Clayton Kershaw
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. ET
After finding his groove as a long reliever, Curry, 25, has steadily increased his pitch count and become a trusted piece of the rotation amid injuries to Shane Bieber and Cal Quantrill. Curry’s posted a 3.60 ERA over six starts since Bieber landed on the injured list in mid-July. The right-hander has gone at least five innings in his last three starts, including a season-high six innings in Friday’s 4-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. He allowed just one run on five hits while striking out six but settled for a no-decision.
Kershaw, meanwhile, has been brilliant again, going 11-4 with a 2.48 and 1.03 WHIP. The 10-time All-Star has gone five innings in both of his starts this month after missing all of July with a shoulder injury. Despite his outstanding numbers, Kershaw is a +7500 longshot to win his fourth NL Cy Young.
âš¾ Game 3 âš¾
Gavin Williams vs TBD
Thursday, 1:10 p.m. ET
Williams has been a revelation as a rookie, posting a 3.02 ERA over his first 11 starts. The 24-year-old right-hander also has struck out 63 in 59.2 innings, including a season-high 12 in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 7.
The Dodgers have yet to name a starter opposite him, which could alter the Dodgers vs Guardians betting odds. Tony Gonsolin was in line to start, but the right-hander landed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday (elbow) and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Gonsolin allowed five homers and a career-high 10 runs over 3.1 innings in Friday’s 11-3 loss to the Marlins.
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