Major League Baseball goes from the Field of Dreams to the little league field for Sunday’s Little League Classic game between the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians in Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League World Series. First played in 2017, the game was shuttered last year due to the pandemic. It returns this year as does the LLWS, which is taking place around the same time. It’s another spectacle and showcase event for MLB, though it’s not the matchup everyone envisioned when selecting the teams last year. With the playoffs a long shot for both clubs, they’ve moved into wait-till-next-year mode.
First pitch for this AL matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 22, 2021 from Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, PA. The matchup will air live on ESPN. Bet on MLB odds and player props at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Odds Analysis
The Angels haven’t finished above .500 since 2015 so getting to the breakeven point is a pretty big deal. And it’s a good sign for the future that the youth movement is taking shape and the Halos are playing decent baseball. They’ve been without Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon for months allowing other guys to do their thing. It’s hard to top what Trout has done in his career, but Shohei Ohtani has made a lot of folks forget that Trout is still a thing. Ohtani is on his way to winning the AL MVP leading the league in homers while going 8-1 on the mound. Unfortunately more Ohtani’s are needed and there just aren’t enough of them to go around. The Angels evened their record with a three-game sweep of the Tigers, coming back from a 10-2 deficit to win the finale 13-10. Maybe they can use that as a springboard to finish off the year strong. It’s been a tough go for the Indians, who were expected to compete with the Sox for the AL Central title. They were hurt by injuries to their rotation and a middlin offense hasn’t helped. If you’re playing the Tribe on the runline, though, you’d be rolling in the green. They are up over $600 against the spread while cashing the OVER in five of seven games ahead of this series.
Probable Pitchers
Jose Suarez: Suarez is a work in progress after converting from a reliever. The first nine of his 16 appearances came in relief where he was solid compiling a 1.98 ERA over 27.1 innings. We have yet to see the same results in his seven starts, though his most recent outing was encouraging. He was the tough luck loser on Monday allowing four hits and two runs over five innings. He yielded a two-run homer to Joey Gallo in the first inning and the offense couldn’t catch up in a 2-1 loss to the Yankees. Still, it was his best start of the year despite the outcome. In his seven starts he’s allowed 32 hits in 33 innings with a 5.45 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. His last outing continued an unusual trend that’s seen Suarez pitch much better on the road. All five of his wins have come on the road where he sports a 3.05 ERA with opponents hitting only .204 against him.
Cal Quantrill: Quantrill has been solid since joining the staff last year, but he has yet to carve out his niche. Much like his counterpart he’s spent time in the bullpen before sliding into the rotation due to injuries. And his numbers are also better out of the pen. In 18 relief appearances he yielded just six earned runs across 28.2 frames for a nifty 1.88 ERA. He’s allowed two earned runs or less in six of his last seven starts and opened the month with 13 consecutive scoreless innings. His worst outing in two months was his last one when he allowed three runs on eight hits in five innings. He took a ND in a game the Indians lost 5-4 in extras. It’s been over two months since he lost a game. His last setback was on June 6 when he surrendered five earned in 1.1 innings. In 14 games since then he’s 3-0 with a 3.17 ERA.
Angels vs. Indians Prediction
If the earlier series between the teams is any indication we should expect a close game. The Indians won two of three at the Big A in May though they were outscored 14-13. They had a pair of one-run victories with the Angels winning their game 7-4. Cleveland has struggled against lefties and with Suarez gaining confidence in his pitches this could be a good spot to lean on the Halos.
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