The opening days of the 2026 MLB season have been an absolute blast to watch, and as we roll into the second week of action on the diamond, there are plenty of games for fans and bettors alike to choose from.

On Monday night in the late window, the Cleveland Guardians (2-2) head to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers (3-0). It’s a story of David vs. Goliath that certainly favors one team over the other given the nature of both lineups and their respective payrolls, but the beauty of this sport is that anything can happen on any given night.

Come fight the Monday blues with us! Here’s a betting prediction and pick for tonight’s Guardians vs. Dodgers matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Guardians vs. Dodgers prediction, preview

The Guardians made the postseason in 2025 with a surge over the second half of the campaign, and now they look to get back to the playoffs once again. They split the opening series of 2026 2-2 with the Seattle Mariners, and while an ugly 8-0 shutout did ruin the vibes to close things out, there were a couple of positives to glean. The biggest storyline by far was Chase DeLauter, the 24-year-old who debuted last postseason and has now started his first regular season by going 6-for-17 with four home runs. He’s been at the center of the production for a lineup with 13 runs in its four matchups, with the team slashing a combined .195/.262/.338. The biggest weakness of the Guardians thus far? A 32.4% K% that ranks third worst in the MLB, but obviously, it’s very early. Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan are bound to get rolling eventually though, so there’s no reason to panic while the bats heat up. The pitching staff has more reason to worry though, giving up eight home runs in four games with a high K% at 28.6%, but also an elevated BB% at 13.6%. Not a great way to start the year, now is it?

Out in the National League, the Dodgers went a perfect 3-0 to open their own season after taking all three games over the Arizona Diamondbacks. That was expected given the massive payroll of the back-to-back World Series champs, especially after adding Kyle Tucker to their embarrassment of riches over the offseason. They’re scoring over five runs a game through the first three outings with a slash line of .222/.320/.422, but the interesting part is a .200 ISO that ranks fifth in the MLB after hammering five deep balls along with a league-high hard-hit rate of 46.7%. The Dodgers are driving the baseball already, which doesn’t come as a shock to anyone. However, an 0.73 K/BB ratio ranks third best in the sport and is a little more surprising. Oh, and did we mention that Shohei Ohtani is just 1-for-8 at the plate to start the season? The pitching staff holds a 2.67 ERA that ranks sixth to go along with the fourth-best WHIP at 0.89 and the second-lowest BB% at just 5.0%. Los Angeles is scary so far.

On the mound for Cleveland is lefty Parker Messick, who threw just seven starts in his debut campaign last season. He amassed an impressive 2.72 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP, punching out 38 hitters in 39.2 innings. While he didn’t qualify for most grades per Baseball Savant’s advanced metrics due to sample size, he would’ve been in very high percentiles for BB%, barrel rate, hard-hit rate and more.

The Dodgers will roll out righty Roki Sasaki, who threw just 10 games for Los Angeles last season with eight starts. He ended with a 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, striking out 28 hitters in 36.1 innings of work. it was a pretty uninspiring result, all things considered, but he brings nice velocity with a 96.1 MPH average on the fastball. He had some serious command issues in Spring Training though, which we’ll work with for out best bet.

Guardians vs. Dodgers pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Dodgers as -199 Moneyline favorites at home this evening, while the Guardians hold +163 odds to win outright. The run total sits at an even nine.

Best Bet: Roki Sasaki over 1.5 walks allowed (-174)

The odds probably won’t do much for you at -174 unless you use this pick as a builder in a parlay, but there’s a ton of reason to feel bullish about a cash tonight. Sasaki allowed 15 walks in Spring Training. Now guess how many innings he pitched. Don’t look it up! No, it wasn’t 15-20 as you probably expected. It was 8.2. Again, he gave up 15 walks in 8.2 innings of work. The recent form is capital B Bad. You get it, but for the record, he had a 13.7% BB% last season as well. Command is not his strong suit.

Strong Lean: CLE Guardians +1.5 (-126)

Maybe things get dangerous for Cleveland with a young pitcher out there against such a star-studded lineup, but Los Angeles’ hurler isn’t particularly formidable. After the Guardians competed with the Mariners in their last series with two wins and a cover at +1.5, I like their chances to keep things feisty this evening on the road.

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians both opened the 2026 MLB season with series wins, showcasing timely hitting, resilience, and standout individual performances to secure victories in their early matchups.

Why it matters

As two of Ohio’s major league baseball franchises, the Reds and Guardians victories to start the season demonstrate the state’s continued passion for the sport and the competitiveness of these regional rivals as they aim to contend for playoff spots in the new year.

The details

The Reds took two of three games from the St. Louis Cardinals, including a dramatic 9th-inning comeback win in the series opener. The Guardians also won their series against the Chicago White Sox, taking two of three games with a walk-off hit in the finale.

• The 2026 MLB season began on March 26, 2026.
• The Reds-Cardinals series took place from March 26-28, 2026.
• The Guardians-White Sox series was played from March 27-29, 2026.

What’s next

The Reds and Guardians will look to continue their strong starts as they face off against division rivals in the coming weeks, with the Reds hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Guardians traveling to take on the Detroit Tigers.

AKRON, Ohio (WOIO) – A mother and her 12-year-old son are dead after a shooting Saturday night near Firestone Stadium in Akron. A suspect is in custody.

Akron police responded to multiple 911 calls around 8:10 p.m. for a shooting near 30 West Wilbeth Road.

Officers found a car partially on fire that had crashed into the tree line on Hemlock Street south of West Wilbeth Road.

Inside the car, officers found 12-year-old Jericho L. Mangual, who had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene around 8:34 p.m.

The driver, 47-year-old Tania Mangual, the mother of the 12-year-old, had also been shot. She was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center, where she died around 8:50 p.m.

A 2-year-old boy, also her son, was inside the car and was not injured. He was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital as a precaution.

Witness describes fiery crash

Jackie Travis, who lives across the street, watched police respond to the crash.

“It was on fire underneath and the engine was on fire,” Travis said.

Charred ground and branches mark where the car came to rest.

Suspect identified, turned himself in

Dispatchers received multiple 911 calls, including one from a 49-year-old woman who fled the scene after being shot. She provided detectives with information that helped identify the suspect as 28-year-old Brandon T. Casto.

Akron Police detectives executed a search warrant at an apartment connected to the suspect and found multiple firearms, firearm accessories and a large collection of ammunition.

Investigators learned that Casto told friends he was fleeing Akron. He turned himself in more than 100 miles away in Meigs County. He is currently being held at the Southeast Regional Jail in Nelsonville, facing two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault.

Police have not released a motive or Casto’s connection to the family.

A growing memorial now marks the spot where the car crashed. People who say they know the family left candles and a white teddy bear.

Akron Police Major Crimes Unit detectives are still examining the circumstances surrounding this incident, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.