Guardians-Diamondbacks prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

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16 June 2023

Guardians-Diamondbacks prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

The Cleveland Guardians (32-36) visit the Arizona Diamondbacks (41-28) for the first of a three-game series. First pitch commences Friday at 9:40 p.m. ET. Below we continue our MLB odds series with a Guardians-Diamondbacks prediction, pick, and how to watch.

Here are the Guardians-Diamondbacks MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Guardians-Diamondbacks Odds

Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-170)

Arizona Diamondbacks: -1.5 (+140)

Over: 8 (-105)

Under: 8 (-115)

How To Watch Guardians vs. Diamondbacks

TV: Bally Sports

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/ 6:40 p.m. PT

*See how to watch Guardians-Diamondbacks LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 6-4 (Second in the AL Central)

Run Line Record: 33-35 (49%)

Over Record: 26-40-2 (39%)

Cleveland struggled out of the gates – going just 12-14 in April and 12-15 in May. Thankfully for the Guardians, they play in arguably the worst division in baseball and thus sit just 2.5 games back of first despite being four games under .500. The Guardians have finally started to click over the past few weeks, however, with just one series loss across their last six. Still, they'll need a bounce-back start from Triston McKenzie and a continued offensive effort if they want to cover against one of the best pitchers in the league.

Righty Triston McKenzie (0-1) makes his third start of the season for the Guardians tonight. The 25-year-old had high expectations coming into the year after posting a 2.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP last year. An injury ended up sidelining him for the first two months of the year but he's since returned to mixed results. McKenzie looked dominant in his first start against the Twins – allowing just a single hit while striking out 10 in 5.0 shutout innings. However, he followed that up with a rough outing against the Astros in which he allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks. Although the Diamondbacks have faired well against righties this year, they just dropped three of four at home to the Phillies. Considering Arizona eclipsed four runs just once during that series, McKenzie could be in line for a start emulating his season debut.

While the majority of Cleveland's lineup has struggled against righties this season, that can't be said about Jose Ramirez. The superstar third baseman owns an eye-popping .921 OPS against righties for the year and has been red-hot of late. Over his last five games, Ramirez hit .476 and blasted out four home runs. He's finally gotten some help from first baseman Josh Naylor this month. Naylor struggled over the first two months but is hitting .417 in June – ranking second on the team with 24 total bases. That may have rubbed off on DH Josh Bell who, like Naylor, struggled to start the year. He's slowly turned it around, however, and owns a .983 OPS over the last week.

Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 6-4 (First in the NL West)

Run Line Record: 41-28 (59%)

Over Record: 33-32-4 (51%)

The Diamondbacks have been one of the best stories in baseball this season. Arizona has consistently been one of the best teams in the league – going 15-12 in April, 17-10 in May, and 8-5 thus far in June. Although they are riding a three-game losing streak, getting their ace on the bump against one of the league's worst offenses could be just the remedy the D-backs need to get back on track.

Cy Young-favorite Zac Gallen (7-2) makes his 15th start of the season tonight. The 27-year-old finds himself in the midst of a breakout season thanks to his 3.09 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 27% strikeout rate. Gallen features excellent control but can fall victim to his fair share of hard contact – ranking in the 12th percentile in average exit velocity and the 11th percentile in hard hit rate allowed. Still, Gallen has looked dominant for portions of the season. He posted an incredible 1.09 ERA in April but is coming off a pair of shaky starts – most recently giving up five runs on 10 hits to the lowly Tigers. That said, Gallen has dominated at home this year – allowing just five earned runs in 47 innings. Cleveland's feeble offense struggles against righties – setting Gallen up for a bounce-back start.

You can't talk about the Diamondbacks' lineup without leading off with Corbin Carroll. The Rookie of the Year favorite has solidified himself as one of the premier outfielder. For the season, Carroll is batting .306 with 14 home runs, 35 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. The 22-year-old has been on an absolute tear this month – batting .367 while collecting 41 total bases in just 13 games. His dominance has taken the spotlight away from first baseman Christian Walker. Walker, too, has been hot this month – batting .319 with an excellent .921 OPS.