The Cleveland Guardians were a season-high six games out of first place in the American League Central following their shutout loss to the San Diego Padres on Aug. 16. A little more than a week later, they find themselves trailing the division-leading Chicago White Sox by only 2 1/2 contests.
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Cleveland (66-66) attempts to extend its winning streak to six games and draw even closer in the AL Central race when the Guardians visit the Los Angeles Angels (52-80) at 9:38 p.m. ET on Tuesday for the middle contest of their three-game series at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. The Guardians, who are a half-game ahead of the Houston Astros for the third AL wild card berth, improved to 6-1 since that setback against San Diego with a 4-2 triumph in Monday’s opener.
Austin Hedges belted a two-run homer and Parker Messick allowed one run and three hits over six innings as Cleveland posted its sixth consecutive victory against Los Angeles dating back to last season. Second in the AL with 201 strikeouts, right-hander Gavin Williams (12-7, 3.72 ERA) takes the mound Tuesday for a Guardians club that is aiming for its third straight division title and fourth in five years.
The Angels, who have lost three of their last four contests, counter with righty Walbert Urena (8-9, 2.80). The 22-year-old Dominican rookie was solid in his first career outing against the Guardians but was saddled with the loss after giving up two runs and three hits with four strikeouts across five innings.
Two teams that also have their eye on a playoff berth begin a three-game set Tuesday as the New York Yankees (74-56) host the Houston Astros (65-66) at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. The Yankees, who have reached the postseason eight of the last nine years, have won six of their last seven contests. New York sits atop the AL wild card standings, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox, and trails the Tampa Bay Rays by 3 1/2 games for first place in the AL East.
Houston is looking to get back on track after having lost six of eight to fall out of a playoff spot. The Astros are a half-game behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead and the Guardians for the third wild card.
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Tuesday’s MLB schedule consists of 13 other games, including the middle contest of the three-game series between the Minnesota Twins (64-68) and Athletics (51-81) at 9:40 p.m. ET at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif. The Twins climbed within 4 1/2 games of the AL Central-leading White Sox and remained two back in the wild-card race with a 9-6 triumph in Monday’s opener that snapped their three-game losing streak.
The San Diego Padres (71-61) hope to bounce back from a series-opening loss when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates (64-69) at 9:40 p.m. ET at Petco Park. San Diego, which has a two-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third wild card in the National League, rallied from a two-run deficit Monday to forge a tie before dropping a 3-2 decision in 12 innings. The Padres had won 21 of their previous 28 contests. Pittsburgh kept alive its slim playoff hopes with the win as it is 7 1/2 games back in the wild card race with 29 remaining.
The Guardians are -142 money line betting favorites against the Angels in the recent consensus MLB betting odds, while the Yankees are -142 betting favorites versus the Astros. The Twins are -148 favorites over the Athletics at sports betting apps and the Padres are -122 to win against the Pirates.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Tuesday, Aug. 25. All times Eastern
MLB best bets, where to watch
Astros at Yankees
Time: 7:05 p.m. | Location: Bronx, N.Y. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Yankees ML (-142) | Expert: Will Warren Over 4.5 hits allowed (-105, PropBetGuy)
These teams have been trending in opposite directions, as the Yankees have won six of their last seven games while the Astros have lost six of their past eight. New York won two of three at Houston earlier this season and now is facing rookie right-hander Ethan Pecko, who will be making his second start in the majors. The 24-year-old worked 3 2/3 innings against the Angels in his debut last Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while throwing 89 pitches. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t see Pecko notching his first victory in the series opener as the Yankees win in 62% of simulations. New York righty Will Warren has yielded six or more hits in two of his last three turns and surrendered seven over six innings in his first meeting with the Astros this year. SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (97-67, +1427 on his last 164 MLB player prop picks) likes Houston to collect at least five hits against Warren, who has allowed five-plus in eight of his 10 home starts in 2026.
Guardians at Angels
Time: 9:38 p.m. | Location: Anaheim, Calif. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Angels +1.5 (-147) | Expert: Gavin Williams Over 8.5 strikeouts (+112, Matt Snyder)
The Guardians are hot, as they’ve won five consecutive contests and seven of their last nine. Los Angeles has dropped four of its past six contests and six straight against Cleveland dating back to last season. Five of those six defeats were by fewer than three runs, however, and the SportsLine Projection Model believes Tuesday’s matchup will be a close one as its simulations have the Angels covering the run line 68% of the time. Guardians righty Gavin Williams is second in the American League with 201 strikeouts and has reached double figures in six of his last eight outings. SportsLine expert Matt Snyder is backing the 27-year-old to fan at least nine batters in this contest as the Angels have struck out an AL-high 1,244 times this season.
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Twins at Athletics
Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: West Sacramento, Calif. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Athletics ML (+133)
The Twins halted their three-game skid with a 9-6 victory in the series opener, and the game wasn’t even that close as the Athletics scored four times in the bottom of the ninth inning to make it respectable. The setback prevented the A’s from posting their first three-game winning streak since a four-gamer from June 9-13. But Minnesota righty Taj Bradley hasn’t been able to buy a victory of late, going 0-2 over his last seven starts despite having given up three runs or fewer in five of the past six. The SportsLine Projection Model thinks Bradley’s winless stretch will continue Tuesday and assigns this pick an “A” grade as the Athletics record the victory in 52% of its simulations.
Pirates at Padres
Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: San Diego | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 7.5 (+103) | Expert: Padres ML (-112, Adam Thompson)
The Pirates may be five games under the .500 mark and haven’t been lighting up the scoreboard of late, producing four runs or fewer in each of their last six games. But they are one of the highest-scoring teams in the sport as they rank third in the major leagues with 656 runs. The Padres are just 12th in the National League with 566 runs, but they registered at least six in every contest of their three-game sweep of the Twins this past weekend. The SportsLine Projection Model feels the teams will combine for at least eight runs Tuesday as its simulations have the Over hitting 58% of the time. San Diego won eight straight at home prior to the series-opening setback, and SportsLine expert Adam Thompson (19-7, +1044 on his last 26 MLB picks) likes the Padres to bounce back with a victory this evening.
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