5 Bold MLB Predictions This Week, including Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge

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With the Chicago Cubs without three starters—Justin Steele, Matthew Boyd, and Cade Horton—there’s even more pressure on the shoulders of Shota Imanaga. This past week, he was lights-out against the Philadelphia Phillies with 11 strikeouts and just 3 hits allowed in 6 innings. Facing the same team in consecutive starts isn’t ideal, but the Phillies’ lineup does have the fifth-highest strikeout rate in MLB (24.3 percent) since April 5. We think another gem is coming from Imanaga this week.

Shohehi Ohtani Homers, Throws 5 Hitless Innings

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In his major-league career, Shohei Ohtani boasts a .930 OPS with 10 home runs against the San Francisco Giants, and he’s hit 4 home runs at Oracle Park in 58 career at-bats. Not only do we see the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ two-way star going deep this week in San Francisco, we also think he’ll make it through 5 hitless innings against the Giants lineup.

Read More: SF Giants Very High on Top MLB Draft Prospect

Cleveland Guardians Go 5-1

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Starting pitching has carried the Cleveland Guardians this season, demonstrated by the fact that the team entered Sunday with the third-lowest rotation ERA (3.00) in baseball. Fortunately for the Guardians’ lineup, there’s a “get right” series to open the week against a Houston Astros pitching staff that has a 6.80 ERA (worst in MLB) this month. We think Cleveland sweeps the Astros at home and then goes into Toronto and takes the three-game series, coming out of the week with a 5-1 record that strengthens their positioning atop the AL Central.

Aaron Judge Homers Twice vs Boston Red Sox

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Aaron Judge is going to have some fun this week at Fenway Park. He gets a three-game series against a Boston Red Sox pitching staff that has allowed the fifth-most home runs (26) in baseball this season, just as many as the Colorado Rockies (25). While he hasn’t hit for a high average at Fenway (.217) in his career, he still has 12 homers at this ballpark, with 3 of those coming last season. Maybe it’s a two-homer game, but we’re more inclined to say Judge homers in two of the three games at Fenway.

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