Oakland Athletics vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction 3-28-24 Picks

The Cleveland Guardians and the Oakland Athletics meet Thursday in MLB action from Oakland Coliseum. Here’s a Guardians vs A’s prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for the game. We will examine:

• The Cleveland Guardians recent form and player performance
• The Oakland Athletics recent form and player performance
• Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Cleveland Guardians
• Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Oakland Athletics
• Recent betting trends in games played between the Guardians and A’s
• A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Guardians vs Athletics game

Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview

Last year, the Guardians failed to improve on their 2022 record of 92-70. Cleveland faltered to a 76-86 campaign despite entering the season as defending American League Central champions. The Guardians ended up finishing in third place among the division, 11 games behind Minnesota in the top spot.

For their Thursday starting pitcher slot, the Guardians will send out Shane Bieber. In Spring Training action over four starts this year, Bieber put up a 2-0 record with a 1.56 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 17.1 innings. Last year, Bieber managed a 6-6 run with a 3.80 ERA in 21 starts total. The Guardians will face the Mariners after this series.

Oakland Athletics Betting Preview

Over on the A’s side, they had an even worse run last year. Oakland also failed to improve on their 2022 record (60-102), going just 50-112 after a rough 10-45 start (tied for the worst in MLB history over that span). Needless to say, the Athletics landed in the basement of the AL West, a whopping 40 games behind the Astros.

Alex Wood will take the mound for the start Thursday and attempt to get Oakland’s 2024 season started out on a high note. Wood posted four starts in Spring Training, notching a 4.40 ERA without a decision. Last year Wood went 5-5 with a 4.33 ERA in 29 games (12 starts).

Oakland Athletics Team Facts

• The Athletics have won each of their last three home openers as underdogs.
• The Athletics have covered the run line in each of their last four home openers as underdogs.
• The Athletics have led after 3 innings in each of their last six night games against the Guardians.
• The Athletics have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last five season openers.
• The Athletics have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last five home night games.

Cleveland Guardians Team Facts

• The Guardians have lost six of their last seven games as road favorites.
• The Guardians have failed to cover the run line in 11 of their last 12 games as favorites.
• The Guardians have trailed after 5 innings in three of their last four road openers as favorites.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Guardians’ last five games as favorites.
• The Guardians have trailed after 3 innings in three of their last four road openers as favorites.

Guardians vs Athletics Prediction

I’ll stay with Cleveland. There’s good news on the horizon for the Guardians, even following the down year in 2023. Cleveland has plenty of optimism on their side given a young roster and a potentially wide-open race in the division. Jose Ramirez is back after being the only player to hit 20-plus homers last season, but the team won’t necessarily be relying on power. We can expect plenty of speed with this lineup, with walks and stolen bases factoring heavily on offense.

Bieber will anchor a fairly balanced rotation and may serve as trade bait once the deadline approaches. For now, Bieber should be able to keep the A’s in check and put Cleveland in a winning position for their opener. I like a low-scoring finish here for a Guardians victory.