The Los Angeles Angels host the Cleveland Guardians on April 4, 2025. First pitch from Angel Stadium is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on FDSW.
Things haven’t gone according to plan at the plate for the Angels, but have picked up in recent games and should continue improving in a good matchup against young right-hander Gavin Williams.
Find my MLB betting preview and Guardians vs Angels prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
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My Guardians vs Angels Prediction
- Guardians vs Angels picks: Angels ML (-102) | Play to -115
My Guardians vs Angels best bet is the Angels moneyline (-102). Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Guardians vs Angels Odds
Friday, Apr 4
9:38 p.m. ET
FDSW
Guardians OddsSpreadTotalMoneyline-1.5
+142
8
-108o / -112u
-115
Angels OddsSpreadTotalMoneyline+1.5
-170
8
-108o / -112u
-105
Kenny Ducey’s Guardians vs Angels Preview
Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview: Cleveland’ Offense Yet To Heat Up
Gavin Williams has yet to really wow us at the big-league level, but he’s still just 25 and was robbed of valuable time in his second season due to injury. He came out relatively strong in year three, debuting with five innings of two-run ball against the Royals, but while he allowed just five runners, he struck out just two.
Williams has pitched to a lot of contact through the air so far in his career, but also has an untidy 10.1% walk rate. Is he going to miss bats eventually? He put up just a 16.7% whiff rate versus a Kansas City team that struggled with contact a season ago, though given the Royals’ free-swinging nature, Williams was able to limit walks and induce some soft contact.
It’s comically early to make any assertions about a team’s offense, but so far, Cleveland’s is relatively similar to 2024. It’s 13th in wRC+ through the first week and change, and much like last year, the Guardians have been able to marry a good strikeout rate (14th-best) with a 12th-ranked Isolated Power.
Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview: Soriano Could Struggle
We frequently call pitchers “lucky” based on their metrics, but sometimes there’s more to an Expected ERA. Pitchers like Jose Soriano, who allow a lot of contact, can often perform better than expected if they play to the strengths of their park or their defense.
Rarely do I chalk a pitcher’s performance up to fortune, but that would seem to be the case with Soriano. He had one of the highest ground-ball rates in baseball a season ago (60.1%) and did so with the worst infield defense, by Outs Above Average, behind him. It certainly doesn’t seem like a recipe for success with his defense looking similar — if not worse — with Yoan Moncada manning third as starting shortstop Zach Neto is nursing an injury. On top of that, offenses around the league are beginning to see better results against ground-ball arms than fly-ballers.
Soriano does pump in a fastball averaging 98 mph — one of the best in the league — but it’s resulted in a wealth of solid contact and comes next to a pretty bleak 10.4% career walk rate. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares against a team that loves to swing the bat and ranked 17th in OPS to ground-ball arms versus 12th in the reverse split.
As for this offense, well, I think things will pick up a bit from where they stand now. The Angels are just 25th in wRC+, failing to take many walks and hit for much power, but at the very least, they’ve had their strikeout rate under control (22.5%) after struggling in that area last year.
Guardians vs Angels Prediction, Betting Analysis
The Angels were not only better against ground-ball pitching a season ago, but have struggled to display much patience so far this season. That should result in continued gains for Williams in the walk department and more success on contact. On the flip side, Soriano will enter into a rare spot where the offense he’ll pitch against plays right into his hands as a ground-ball pitcher.
So far this season, the Angels have ranked ninth in infield defense by OAA. While I did mention they’ve got a different look on the left side of the infield, we should also point out that it’s possible this team may be improving. Manager Ron Washington is highly regarded for his work with infielders and could be one of the best tutors of all time regarding defense.
I believe this offense is capable of much more with the power bats they’ve assembled. Despite the slow start, it may find some timely extra-base hits and homers versus a fly-ball arm like Williams, who pitched around the league average in terms of expected hits and slugging.
Inside one of the friendliest parks in the league for home runs, I like L.A. to pick up where it left off against St. Louis and keep trending in a positive direction at the dish. At the same time, Soriano records outs on contact against a free-swinging Guardians team.
Pick: Angels ML (-102)
Moneyline
We’ve tracked some sharp money hitting the Angels, though it’s worth noting that 52% of the bets and 63% of the money are on the Guardians.
Run Line (Spread)
The Angels are 0-3 against the run line as favorites this season and were just 7-15 as home favorites last year.
Over/Under
While most of the money is on the Over, our signals have pointed to some sharp money hitting the Under. Cleveland has gone 3-3 to the Over this season, while L.A. is 4-2.
Guardians vs Angels Betting Trends
Guardians vs Angels starts at 9:38 p.m. EDT on Friday, live from Angel Stadium. The game will be broadcast on FDSW.
Guardians vs Angels Weather
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