Carlos Carrasco (7-6, 3.17 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (64-48) meet Tyler Skaggs (1-0, 2.04 ERA) and the Los Angeles Angels (49-65) in the second of a four-game series at Progressive Field. The Angels lost the last game 14-4, extending a seven-game losing streak. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 12 and will air on STOh and FSW.
In his most recent outing, Carrasco pitched 7.0 innings, giving up three runs, striking out nine and walking two in a 3-2 loss to the Yankees. Mike Napoli (.261, 75 Rs, 29 HRs, 83 RBIs, 4 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 4 for 4 with three runs, one home run, and four RBIs. The Angels were also unsuccessful the last time Skaggs pitched. He struggled, going 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, striking out four and walking three in an 8-6 loss to the Mariners. Mike Trout (.313, 89 Rs, 22 HRs, 75 RBIs, 18 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Cleveland, a -140 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Los Angeles. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is eight runs. When playing as the favorite, the Indians have a 48-34 record and overall money line at +383. The Indians have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire AL, averaging 5.0 runs per game. The Indians are a superb hitting team with 9.0 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the AL. The Indians are a nightmare on the bases for opponents with 84 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Cleveland’s pitching staff has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game rose to 6.3 during that span, compared to its 4.2 season average.
On the other side, the Angels have a subpar record of 25-42 when they are the underdog and are -1,536 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, the team is 3-7 SU and has played poorly as the underdog with a 1-4 record. The Angels rank fourth in the AL in road scoring, averaging four runs per game. The top road hitting team in the AL are the Angels, who average 9.3 hits in games away from home. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Los Angeles batters, who average an AL-low 6.2 strikeouts per road game.
The Indians are 3-1 against the Angels this season. This game will feature Skaggs (LHP) on the mound against the Indians, who have an 11-4 home and 21-11 overall record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Angels will be the right-hander Carrasco. They sport a 34-47 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, O/U – Over
Notes
For the 16th time this season, the Angels registered at least two errors in a game.
The Indians are coming into this matchup after a high-scoring game where they scored a whopping 14 runs. The Angels have a 0-2 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Angels are 6-50. The Indians have an 8-34 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 25th in home runs, Los Angeles has hit 109 this season. Cleveland ranks sixth with 148 home runs.
The Indians and the Angels both average 9.02 hits per game.
Ranking 15th, Los Angeles is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.738). Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at sixth with an OPS of .768.
When the Angels allow at least one home run, they are 27-53. When the Indians allow one or more homers, they have a 39-42 record.
